APA, Die Presse, August 30, 2017

German original:
http://diepresse.com/home/innenpolitik/nationalratswahl/5277497/Spitzenkandidat-von-Dueringers-GILTListe-zieht-sich-zurueck

Günther Lassi steps down as lead candidate of the electoral list GILT. After charges of anti-Semitism, he sees himself as a victim of character assassination.

The lead candidate of standup comedian and actor Roland Düringer’s electoral list GILT, Günter Lassi, steps down „irrevocably.“ This was communicated by the list on Wednesday evening via a statement. Lassi has been criticized because he linked a pdf – file of the anti-Semitic pamphlet The Protocols of the Elders of Zion on his website. He speaks of character defamation.

Admittedly, the withdrawal is only a symbolic act, because GILT cannot change the federal list of candidates due to legal reasons – all Lassi could do is give up his mandate in case the party makes it into parliament.

On Facebook, the esoteric distanced himself „strictly from fascist thought.“ He thought it was pathetic and characteristic for the polarization of society and the media to damn him in a defamatory fashion. As GILT reported, Lassi „as a pacifist does not want to fight Austrian media“ and hurt the „democracy project GILT.“ He thus withdraws his candidacy in „deep shock and irrevocably.“

As GILT points out, Lassi has built an inclusive collection of documents on esotericism and the occult. Within that was also a pdf -file with the Protocols of the Elders of Zion from 1903. However, in a different pdf – document within the „Lassi Collection,“ the pamphlet was criticized sharply.