Austria to charge 4 soldiers for Nazi salutes

VIENNA (Reuters) - Four Austrian soldiers face criminal charges for exchanging Hitler salutes in two videos that appeared on the Internet, Defence Minister Norbert Darabos said on Thursday.

Any display of Nazi propaganda or symbols is a crime in Austria, which took decades to acknowledge it was more a willing party than a victim of Nazi Germany's Third Reich.

In the army barracks incident captured by mobile-phone camera and posted on the video-sharing Web site YouTube, a soldier goose-steps past and stretches out his right arm in a Hitler salute. Another shouts, "Heil Hitler!"

In a statement, Darabos said an investigation found four conscript soldiers were involved. He said they would be dismissed from the military and charged by state prosecutors.

"There will be absolutely no tolerance for expressions of support for the National Socialist system. We can make no compromises here," said Darabos, a Social Democrat.

The videos were deleted from YouTube after the scandal surfaced early this week. The incident came to light during a visit by Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer to Israel.