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An American tourist gives Nazi salutes in Germany, then gets punched, police say

A swastika flag displayed at the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald, near Weimar, central Germany, Wednesday, April 13, 2016. The exhibition opened on Sunday, April 17, 2016, the 71st anniversary of the liberation of the camp.
A swastika flag displayed at the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald, near Weimar, central Germany, Wednesday, April 13, 2016. The exhibition opened on Sunday, April 17, 2016, the 71st anniversary of the liberation of the camp. AP

Police say a drunken American man was punched by a passer-by as he gave the stiff-armed Nazi salute multiple times in downtown Dresden.

Dresden police said Sunday the 41-year-old, whose name and hometown weren’t given for privacy reasons, suffered minor injuries in the 8:15 a.m. Saturday assault.

Police say the American, who is under investigation for violating Germany’s laws against the display of Nazi symbols or slogans, had an extremely high blood alcohol level. His assailant fled the scene, and is being sought for causing bodily harm.

It’s the second time this month that tourists have gotten themselves into legal trouble for giving the Nazi salute.

On August 5 two Chinese tourists were caught taking photos of themselves making the gesture in front of Berlin’s Reichstag building.

This story was originally published August 13, 2017 at 9:51 AM with the headline "An American tourist gives Nazi salutes in Germany, then gets punched, police say."

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