In Germany, the use of Nazi symbols and gestures is against the law. (Photo by Madeline Lenz/Corbis News/ Getty Images)
A drunken American tourist was assaulted over the weekend after repeatedly raising his arm to give the Nazi salute outside a bar in the German city of Dresden.
Dresden police said the 41-year-old man, who didn’t get too banged up in the attack, is being investigated for violating the law against the use of symbols from certain banned groups. Public displays of Nazism, such as the swastika symbol and gestures like the “Heil Hitler” salute, have been outlawed in Germany since the end of WWII, The Guardian reported.
The incident unfolded early Saturday, Aug. 12, when the tourist, “who was strongly under the influence of alcohol,” exited a bar in the city’s Neustadt area and proceeded to give the Nazi salute in the street, according to the newspaper.
“An unknown passerby then beat up the man and slightly injured him,” the police said in a statement.
The assailant hasn’t been captured yet, but authorities say he or she faces charges of bodily harm.
This is the second time this month tourists have gotten into legal trouble for giving the stiff-armed salute.
The Associated Press reported that two Chinese tourists were busted taking photos of themselves while making the gesture in front of Berlin’s Reichstag building on Aug. 5. The travelers were fined $600 each but were allowed to leave the country with their tour group, police said.
