Anti-immigration Austrians cleared of hate speech

"Identitarians" are a European movement that expresses pride in their national traditions and opposes immigration.  They are often described as part of the Alt-Right, whatever that may be. People with a wide variety of views are described as Alt-right

An Austrian court on Thursday found 17 members of Austria's far-right 'Identitarian Movement' (IBÖ) not guilty of charges of criminal association and hate speech.

Ten prominent members of the group and seven other "active sympathizers" had gone on trial in the city of Graz earlier this month on charges connected to several of the group's stunts in recent years.

Being found guilty of criminal association would have posed a serious threat to the IBÖ's ability to continue operating.

Two of the accused were, however, found guilty on lesser charges.

One was convicted of bodily harm and coercion over an incident in June 2016 in which members stormed the stage during a talk on refugee policy at Klagenfurt University and unrolled banners reading "Stop Immigration" and "Integration is a lie".

The other was found guilty of criminal damage in a separate IBÖ stunt. Both were fined.

One of the IBÖ's leaders, Martin Sellner, was prevented from entering the UK in March, with authorities judging his presence would not have been "conducive to the public good".

SOURCE