Austrian government on Wednesday approved amendments to the law banning displays of Nazi-era symbols in public, adding a number of extremist and far-right groups and their symbols to the list, including those related to the World War II Croatian fascist Ustasha regime.

Along with symbols of jihadist groups like the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, the Vienna government also banned insignia related to a number of other organisations, mostly from Muslim countries, whose goals were deemed to be in opposition to the fundamental values of Austria and especially the plurality of its society, the government said.

The new amendments, which are due to be passed by parliament next weekend, include symbols related to the Muslim Brotherhood, Grey Wolves, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Hamas, Hezbollah Military Wing, but also Ustasha-related insignia, Al Jazeera Balkans reported on Wednesday.

The ban on Ustasha symbols was introduced in response to the annual Bleiburg remembrance ceremony, held every May near that Austrian town on the border with Slovenia, in memory of of civilians and soldiers loyal to the defeated World War II Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia (NDH) and the Ustasha regime which controlled it, who were captured and killed by the communist Partisans in the closing stages of the war.

Since the early 1990s, the memorial event, which traditionally includes an open air Catholic mass attended by thousands of Croatians, over the years also became popular with far-right extremists who often publicly displayed Ustasha-related insignia and slogans at the event.

In April this year, three MEP’s from Austria’s raised this issue in a joint news conference in Vienna, which led to Austrian police stepping up security measures at the event, ending in six arrests.

According to the new law, the symbols related to these proscribed organisations or groups will be banned in public, along with symbols of any other groups closely associated with them, as well as any groups proscribed by the European Union as terrorist.

After passing in parliament, the law is expected to come into effect in March 2019, with the proscribed maximum fine of up to €10,000, more than the current maximum €4,000 fine for using Nazi symbols.

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