The Turkish group in the city of Linz “Avarsya” will not be part of the next meeting of the City Integration forum, the city’s mayor Klaus Luger announced this week.
An important member of the group, Abdurrahman Alpaslan, who allegedly is closely related to the right-wing extremists Grey Wolves from Turkey, gave a fascist salute at the former Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Upper Austria.
His photo with the two fingered Wolf salute - little finger represents Turkey and the index finger represents Islam - was posted on the group’s Facebook.
The salute is used by members of the Nationalist Movement Party of Turkey (MHP) to imply that Turkish Islamists will one day control the world.
After the incident in Mauthausen, local mayor Luger demanded Avarsya officially distanced themselves from the act.
When they failed to do so, the mayor announced the group’s expulsion from the Integration Forum.
Avrasya has also been classified as anti-Semitic and offensive to democracy by political scientists of the University of Vienna.
The expulsion was welcomed by the Mauthausen committee and the network of Upper Austrian groups against racism and right-wing extremism.
Green spokeswoman of the Upper Austria State, Sophia Hochedlinger, who previously discovered the photo with the Wolf salute on Facebook also welcomed the decision.
Officials are also in the process of depriving Avarsya access to offices and financial aid from the city.
Critics had previously accused the mayor as well as his Socialist party for maintaining a close and supportive relationship and collaboration with Avarsya.