Investigation launched against police officer for spreading hate on Facebook

Austria's Office for the Protection of the Constitution has launched an investigation against a police officer from the province of Carinthia for spreading hatred and calling for arming against refugees online, reports the news agency Patria, citing Austrian media.  

Following a report by the Vienna daily "Kronen Zeitung" on a visit by representatives of "Amnesty International" to the Traiskirchen reception centre, a Facebook user complained that he was fed up with refugees, after a group of asylum seekers allegedly attacked his small dog.

To this remark, a Facebook user replied:

"Arm yourself, friend. Caliber 45 helps against such types" and added, asking: "Why not 9 mm as well".

The previous interlocutor from Facebook responded: "It doesn't matter, what matters is that it works". And everything might have gone unnoticed if the Facebook user who called for arming wasn't a police officer from Klagenfurt.

The affair was uncovered by former Green Party MP Karl Elinger, who emphasised that the public prosecutor's office should determine whether a criminal offence exists, but that the police officer must certainly face disciplinary measures.

Spokesman for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution of the province of Carinthia, Markus Dexl, confirmed that an investigation has been launched. He explained that it is still open what consequences this case will have for the police officer, as there is also the possibility that the Facebook account was "hacked" and that someone else posted the hate message under his name.