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Re-engagement with National Socialism has been a crime since
1947 in Austria, which for decades maintained that it was
Hitler's first victim and often glossed over the enthusiastic
welcome he got from many Austrians.
Nazi Germany annexed Austria, Hitler's birthplace, in 1938.
The scene from Seidl's "Im Keller" (In the Basement) shows five
men in traditional dress singing a drinking song in a room
featuring a portrait of Hitler, a swastika flag and mannequins
wearing Nazi uniforms and helmets.
Two conservative council members in the eastern town of
Eisenstadt resigned from their posts and left the People's Party
after appearing in the scene in Seidl's film.
Prosecutors in Eisenstadt have charged the owner of the
basement, whom they did not name, based on witness statements
collected after the documentary's release last year.
The man can appeal the charges, which carry up to 10 years in
prison, a spokesman for the prosecution said, adding that
investigations into the other men filmed have been dropped.
The suspect had told Austrian media last year that he was merely
"a collector", not a Nazi.
(Reporting By Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Dominic Evans)
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