Two prisoners in Austria have earned themselves an additional 15 months in prison after they used toilet paper to make swastika decorations in their cells.

The Klagenfurt District Court sentenced two inmates at the Klagenfurt Prison in Austria to 15 additional months after they garnished their cell bars with swastikas and two SS ‘Victory’ signs known in German as ‘Siegrune’ or ‘SS-Rune’ in 2020.

The SS (Schutzstaffel) was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II.

The two men, unnamed but aged 21 and 23, admitted the act in court but reported it had nothing to do with Nazism.

The defendants said they were provoked by other prisoners and explained: “Straight across from our own cell there were Africans who kept abusing and insulting us.”

When asked by Judge Michael Schofnegger why they used these specific symbols, the prisoners said: “It was the first thing that occurred to us.”

Both convicts emphasised they were not xenophobic and condemned the actions of the Nazis in the 20th century.

When Judge Alfred Pasterk asked the 23-year-old inmate what he condemns Nazism for, he said: “The persecution of Jews and minorities.”

However, both the accused admitted that the swastikas were intended to express their rejection of people with other ethnic backgrounds.

After the jury decided the two had violated the prohibition law, judge Schofnegger decided “there is no room for conditional sentences” and sentenced them to an additional 15 months.

Nazi symbols have been illegal in Austria since 1945.

The extra 15 months will be added to the 23-year-old man’s previous sentence, which was due to end in 2027, while the 21-year-old inmate will rejoin him after he was released from prison in November 2020.

Both men accepted the verdict after the judge waived the right to an appeal.