Court upholds fine against Sellner over Identitarian symbol

Vorarlberg’s State Administrative Court has upheld a fine against far-right activist Martin Sellner for publicly displaying a symbol of the Identitarian Movement, ORF Vorarlberg reported.

Sellner wore the symbol on his outer clothing twice and displayed it in public during a visit to an inn. The incident followed a lecture he gave in Feldkirch to about 100 far-right extremists from Switzerland, according to the report.

The district authority fined Sellner 1,500 euros because the Identitarian Movement’s symbol is prohibited from public display in Austria. Sellner appealed, arguing that the symbol he wore was a computer game logo that differed from the movement’s official emblem.

The court said the symbol was the logo of the game Overwatch and had a very strong resemblance to the Identitarian symbol. It found that the design had been altered only slightly and remained recognisable as the movement’s symbol in context. The court also said Sellner intended to use it to show his affiliation with the movement at the lecture.

The court rejected his appeal. Sellner must pay 1,950 euros, including legal costs. The decision cited his two previous convictions for similar offences and said there were no mitigating circumstances.

The court allowed an ordinary appeal to a higher court, and Sellner can also take the case to the Constitutional Court. He has announced on social media that he intends to appeal further, the report said.