Tobias Portschy (1905–1996)

Portschy joined the Nazi Party in 1931 and was Gauleiter (district party leader) in Burgenland when the party was still illegal. After the “Anschluss” in 1938, Portschy pressed ahead with antisemitic measures and was deputy Gauleiter of  Styria. He put in place procedures for persecuting Romani people that served as a model for the entire German Reich.

After the end of the war, Portschy was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was pardoned after five years. In 1959 he joined the Freedom Party. He acted as an unofficial political adviser to top politicians in Burgenland from across the political spectrum. In a 1992 television interview, Portschy demonstrated that his attitudes had not changed: he openly justified the persecution of Romani people. He was charged with Nazi reengagement, but the Public Prosecutor’s Office dragged the matter out until his death in 1996.