German couples arrested for Hitler salute at his birthplace

On Monday, the police reported the arrest of these individuals. The group, consisting of four Germans, commemorated Adolf Hitler by laying white roses at his birth house in Braunau am Inn, choosing April 20 for their visit, which coincides with Hitler's birth anniversary.

According to Austrian police, the arrested parties were two sisters, ages 24 and 26, and their partners, ages 29 and 31. Following the placement of flowers on the windowsill of the Nazi dictator's birth house and the performance of the Hitler salute, the couples posed for photos.

This act compelled the Austrian officers to intervene. The woman who performed the salute insisted it was all in jest, including her claims. However, her phone revealed a history of exchanging messages with Nazi-related content, implicating the entire group's long-standing engagement in such discussions.

The actions of these German tourists prompted an official notification to the prosecutor's office, due to suspicions of violating Austria's laws against the use of Nazi symbols.

Every April 20, Austrian police bolster their patrols around Hitler's birth house in Braunau am Inn, where he lived until the age of three before moving to Passau, a nearby Bavarian town.

Last October saw the beginning of reconstruction work on the house, aimed at deterring visits by neo-Nazis. Since being acquired by the state in 2016, plans have been made to transform it into a police station and, from 2026, to use it for human rights training sessions.

Currently, a boulder displaying the inscription: "For peace, freedom, and democracy. Never again fascism. Millions of dead are a warning" stands in front of the building, symbolizing a commitment to remembering the past and preventing future atrocities.