World

German may be jailed for Hitler ring tone

A man faces up to six months in jail for using a Nazi hate speech as his ring tone.

November 24, 2016 20:56
A picture of Hitler was also found on the phone
1 min read

Grating mobile phone ringtones are the bane of every train passenger’s existence, but one carriage of Germans reported a particularly unsettling one.

Shocked listeners in Hamburg heard a phone ring several times to the tune of a speech made by Adolf Hitler calling for the “destruction of world Jewry”.

They reported the man to the police and he now faces up to six months in jail for using the hate speech as his ring tone.

The 54-year-old German was also found to have a photo of Hitler on his phone captioned “the greatest commander of all time”, as well as swastika stickers.

Public displays of Nazi support such as making the “Heil Hitler” salute are illegal in Germany.

The case follows an antisemitic incident in Hanover where a group of Jewish dancers were attacked with stones.

Speaking in Brussels, European Jewish Congress president Moshe Kantor said the situation of European Jewry was "at its worst since the end of World War II".

He warned: “Jews are afraid to walk the streets in Europe with Jewish signs.”