Excerpt:
Austria’s conservative government plans to impose a ban of Islamic extremist symbols from the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas. The ban is scheduled to go into effect in March.
Austrian media reported this past week that the government’s ban will be expanded to include symbols of Turkey’s ultra-radical nationalist Grey Wolves, the Kurdistan Workers Party, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Croatian fascist movement Ustasha.
The Alpine state currently prohibits symbols associated with al-Qaeda and Islamic State, including groups affiliated with these Sunni terrorist movements. Violations of the law against proscribed symbols from terrorist organizations can result in a 4,000-euro penalty, wrote the paper Der Standard, adding that a repeat offense can mean a 10,000-euro fine. The paper said the list of banned symbols has not yet been published by the government and will be announced in the next few weeks or months. Austria also bans symbols associated with the National Socialists.
