Man in court for dog's salute

2003-10-14 14:44

Berlin - A German man who taught his dog to raise his right paw in a Hitler salute is to appear in court Thursday in Berlin.

The black mongrel sheepdog, called Adolf, is alleged to have performed the trick at his master's request in front of two policemen.

They had been called in to question 54-year-old Roland T after he shouted "Sieg Heil" and raised his own right arm in a salute.

Roland T, who lives in Lichtenrade, southern Berlin, is further accused of wearing a T-shirt with a picture of the Nazi dictator and of shouting Hitler slogans on previous occasions.

A spokesperson told AFP that the court would have to decide whether he was mentally responsible for his acts.

She said the dog would not be called as a witness.

Nazi slogans and greetings are illegal in Germany, where the dictatorship remains a hugely controversial and touchy subject.

To get around code symbols within the neo-Nazi scene, the law also forbids words or actions that can be interpreted as condoning or remembering Nazism - and that, said the spokesperson, can include using a dog to convey the message.

Carola Ruff, of a Berlin animal welfare group, said that any dog could be trained to do what its master wants.

"Raising a paw is what they're born to do," she told the Berliner Kurier. - Sapa-AFP

- SAPA