Gerry Leitmann, Austrian Politician, Resigns Over Nazi 'Blood And Honor' Tattoo

VIENNA -- A member of an Austrian municipal council has resigned amid an uproar over his Nazi tattoo.

Gerry Leitmann made headlines recently after it was revealed that the Hitler Youth slogan "blood and honor" is etched on one of this arms.

Leitmann says in a letter dated Monday and made public Tuesday that he is resigning from the municipal council in Ebenthal, southern Austria, with deep regret. He claims he did not know about the "historic connections" associated with the wording of the tattoo and will have it removed it immediately.

Leitmann's resignation late Monday came as the Austrian town of Waidhofen an der Ybbs revoked the granting of honorary citizenship to Adolf Hitler.

Comments

[TooLooze]

08:12 AM on 06/01/2011

If it was here, he would have said it represented historical pride and apologized if anyone took it the wrong way and was offended by it. Austria needs to at least keep pace with the code phrases of the baggers and the GOP.

[Rooster Coburn]

10:57 AM on 06/01/2011

Socialism, whether of the "National", "International" or any other flavor is the problem.

[jack Winn]

12:03 PM on 06/05/2011

That might be an interesting comment if you had any clear definition of socialism.

[IggyMop]

12:44 AM on 06/01/2011

Someone should hook this guy up with that neo-nazi stripper who was banging the neo-nazi who was married to Sandra Bullock. Apparently she didn't know those tattoos were white power symbols. Perfect match. And how come Sandra Bullock got a pass for marrying a neo-nazi?

[thorrsman]

10:58 PM on 05/31/2011

I wonder how old this clown is? And did he have the "Ing" rune shown on that obviously American Nazi Party flag as a part of his tattoo. (Obvious because it is in English, nicht Deutsch, and a public display of such a thing is highly illegal in Austria and Germany)

[SaulBloodworth]

10:45 PM on 05/31/2011

The Nazis had English-language slogans?

[Passerineblue]

08:30 AM on 06/01/2011

Real motto auf Deutsch: "Blut und Ehre."

[FlangeSqueal]

11:05 AM on 06/01/2011

"Blood and Honors" ??

[eva07]

05:12 PM on 06/01/2011

No, of course not.. it is translated..

[Fencik45]

10:35 PM on 05/31/2011

'I know nothing...I see nothing...' Riiiiiiiggghhhhtttt.

[thorrsman]

10:31 PM on 05/31/2011

"He claims he did not know about the "historic connections" associated with the wording of the tattoo..."

Nope, don't believe it at all. While the Austrians--no, that is NOT the country with the kangaroos--did not teach much about the Second World War for several generations afterwards, it strikes me as impossible for this politician NOT to know the origins of the slogan he had tattooed on his hide. I know the meaning of every symbol I had inked on, and take great care to research every design well before I present it to my favored artist for the work. That includes any possible historical references, good or ill. As does my Austrian bride.

[Paulo1]

09:12 PM on 05/31/2011

OK so he was from Austria and didn't know a very basic piece of Austrian history. We can forgive that and he did resign after all.

Much better than some of the historical gaffes done by Palin, Bachmann, Bush or a dozen other Republican politicians.

[thorrsman]

10:32 PM on 05/31/2011

Another political bigot demonstrates his room-temperature IQ

[Sue Chan]

11:33 PM on 05/31/2011

Really? That's really the angle you're going to take on this one? Giving the benefit of the doubt to a neo-nazi, then spinning in an entirely off-topic criticism of the GOP? Your priorities are beyond screwed up, my friend.

What's more, it's quite sad to see a private citizen with an agenda to push rather than an opinion to share. Unless of course you're in the employ of a political campaign. In which case, knock it off: you're making us real leftists look bad.

[Erewhon7]

08:39 PM on 05/31/2011

B.lood and honor?
In Herr Leitmann's case it's more like "sn.ot and whining."

[silverwolf13]

08:19 PM on 05/31/2011

Seems to be the insignia of the Sons and Daughters of the Double Cross. (Charles Chaplin, The Great Dictator, 1940).

[Rooster Coburn]

08:02 PM on 05/31/2011

Why not just ban ALL expressions of support for socialism?

[FalstaffsMind]

08:08 PM on 05/31/2011

The Nationalist part was the problem area there war eagle.

[Rooster Coburn]

08:25 PM on 05/31/2011

N.S.D.A.P. = National SOCIALIST German WORKER'S Party.

[CymroTramor]

08:27 PM on 05/31/2011

Another uneducated patriot!!!

[Erewhon7]

08:37 PM on 05/31/2011

What Rooster doesn't know about socialism should just about fit unto a terabyte-sized hard drive. With compression, of course.

[Rooster Coburn]

10:03 PM on 05/31/2011

"We are socialists, we are enemies of today's capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions." --Adolf Hitler (Speech of May 1, 1927. Quoted by Toland, 1976, p. 306)

[Stilyagi]

06:48 PM on 05/31/2011

"Leitmann's resignation late Monday came as the Austrian town of Waidhofen an der Ybbs revoked the granting of honorary citizenship to Adolf Hitler."

You're revoking an "honorary citizenship" to Hitler some 65 years AFTER HIS DEATH????? This means something??

[Greg Bell]

07:46 PM on 05/31/2011

Well, at least it means they don't want to be associated with him now - not much, but it's something, I guess.

[thorrsman]

10:38 PM on 05/31/2011

Well, considering that Hitler WAS an Austrian, why was he given an "honorary" citizenship? Was it just this town--along with likely a few dozen others in Germany and Austria--had wanted to make Der Fuhrer a son of of theirs, back when he was riding high?

[Tyler Austin]

05:39 PM on 05/31/2011

I'll need to hear more about this to decide if I belive him or not. I know pagans with Odinist tattos and they're about as far away from neo-nazis as one can get.

[FlangeSqueal]

08:42 PM on 05/31/2011

Odinists.



Yeah- right.



Let's be different and get a TATTOO !!

[thorrsman]

10:42 PM on 05/31/2011

Well, SOMETIMES Odinists are far from Nazis, though not always. The neo-Nazis sometimes adopt some of the trappings of Asatru and call themselves "Odinists", though they are so obvious in their Nazi beliefs that we don't associate with with them at all. True Odinists won't have much to do with the posers either, but they have given the Odinists--and by extension, Asatru--an undeserved bad name.

[SimianNation]

05:07 PM on 05/31/2011

Yea yeah. Sure he didn't know. Trying to punk us like that. Hahhaha.

[PCMinistry]

04:57 PM on 05/31/2011

*He claims he did not know about the "historic connections" associated with the wording of the tattoo and will have it removed it immediately.*

Removed? WHY?! If he didn't know the historic connections and it had some other meaning to him. Then why remove it. Bending under the weight of public scrutiny? I can tell you right now that they would have to FORCE me out. If they had a problem with my tats my response would be one finger in the air and a balled fist for all comers.

[sensimilla]

05:00 PM on 05/31/2011

which is why you'll never be elected to public office.

People are hypocrits and hold politicians to a higher standard.

[The Scientist]

05:08 PM on 05/31/2011

Mein Kampf and other symbols of Nazism, including material questioning the extent of National Socialist crimes or praising it's actions, are forbidden in Austria, under section 3g of the NS-Prohibition Law. The penalty for any kind of neo-Nazism is a prison sentence of up to ten years, or a fine (the maximum is €21,600). Foreigners are not exempted from this law.

Ignorance of the law is not a defense, most particularly when you're a pol.

[FragBunnie]

04:55 PM on 05/31/2011

What if there is no dark conspiracy here? What if he and a group of friends thought it up on their own?

[Tyler Austin]

05:40 PM on 05/31/2011

Fairs' do. Peopel usally jump to the worst conclusions... I mean, who hasen't gotten a tatto t
they regret?

[eva07]

07:08 PM on 05/31/2011

Why would anyone in his right mind tattoo "blood and honor" on his arm?

[PCMinistry]

11:59 AM on 06/01/2011

Getting "Born to F***" on my inner thigh changed my life.

[eva07]

07:19 PM on 05/31/2011

Blood?