Prosecutors drop case against Tyrol FPÖ lawmaker

The Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office has dropped its investigation into Tyrol FPÖ state parliament member Gudrun Kofler over an Instagram “like” linked to a suspected neo-Nazi activist, ORF Tirol reported on Tuesday.

The investigation examined suspected Nazi revivalism under Austria’s Prohibition Act. Kofler had liked a post showing a tattoo worn by an alleged American neo-Nazi activist. The tattoo displayed a banned far-right symbol.

Prosecutor’s office spokesman Hansjörg Mayr said the investigation found no evidence that Kofler had intended to promote Nazi ideology. Her explanation that she had not noticed the tattoo could not be disproved, he told ORF Tirol.

The symbol, known as a Black Sun, is regarded as a far-right sign and is prohibited in Austria, according to the Extremism Advice Centre. Kofler had described the “like” as a mistake and said she had only read the post superficially.

In early July, the Tyrol state parliament voted to lift Kofler’s parliamentary immunity, clearing the way for the investigation. The prosecutor’s office had previously requested that her immunity be lifted.

The post came from an Instagram account belonging to Robert Rundo, whom the report described as the founder of a neo-Nazi network and a prominent figure in the nationalist and antisemitic White Supremacy scene. The account is no longer available.

Kofler was represented in the case by Tyrol FPÖ leader Markus Abwerzger, who is also a lawyer. The Tyrol FPÖ leadership backed Kofler and said she had done nothing criminally relevant.