Commemoration of the dead of the Vienna corporation ring

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The commemoration of the dead of the Vienna Corporations Ring was an event in Vienna that was held on or around May 8, mostly in front of the crypt on Heldenplatz , from the 1990s to 2012 . Co-organizer was the Ring Volkstreuer Associations (RVV). The dead of the Second World War , which ended in Europe on May 8, 1945, was commemorated. The event has been accompanied by counter-demonstrations since 2000 . Since 2013, the Republic of Austria has been holding a vigil of the armed forces and a celebration of joy with the Vienna Symphony on May 8th at Heldenplatz . The term “Hero's memory”, which was used by various media and political opponents of the event, was not used by the Vienna Corporationsring.

history

In the post-war period from 1950 onwards, a “memorial service at the Heldenmal” with the laying of a wreath was a fixed ritual at Vienna University. The Wiener Korporationsring (WKR), an amalgamation of student associations from Vienna, organized its own "honor for the fallen" for the first time on November 29, 1952.

In the 1990s, individual member associations of the WKR began to organize a memorial in Vienna on May 8th. In 1996 it was the Vienna academic fraternity, Albia , who called for the event in the Mölker Bastei , on Heldenplatz and for the laying of wreaths. In the following years, the Vienna academic fraternity Aldania, the Academic Association Wartburg to Vienna, the Academic Border Country Team Cimbria to Vienna, the Viennese academic fraternity Libertas and the Academic fraternity of Upper Austrian Teutons in Vienna came into play. Disruptions began in 2000 when the Communist Student Union first called for a counter-demonstration.

Prohibition discussions 2002

In 2002 the Mayor of Vienna Michael Häupl (SPÖ) called on Interior Minister Ernst Strasser (ÖVP) to ban the event. The Austrian Vice Chancellor and FPÖ Federal Party Leader Susanne Riess-Passner recommended a local relocation of the commemoration due to security concerns. Thereupon the academic guild spoke up differently, for example the Viennese constitutional lawyer Theo Öhlinger supported a ban on the event. Historian Gerhard Jagschitz saw the massively disrupted event in 2002 as an example of an extra-parliamentary confrontation between the political left and right in Austria. Alfred Gusenbauer , Federal Party Chairman of the SPÖ spoke of a "neo-Nazi cult event". Several FPÖ politicians opposed this claim in a letter. The Catholic Austrian Cartel Association (ÖCV) distanced itself from commemorating the dead.

Deutschmeister monument at Deutschmeisterplatz
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Commemoration of the dead 2003–2012

In 2004, more than 350 participants attended the memorial of the dead on Heldenplatz, to which FPÖ politician Heinz-Christian Strache was invited as the main speaker. In 2005, the FPÖ MEP Andreas Mölzer canceled at short notice on the grounds that it was an event on a "small scale with a private character". As a result, apart from the laying of a wreath by 100 people at the tomb of the unknown soldier in the Outer Burgtor on Heldenplatz, the actual memorial of the dead ceased to exist. Around 1,000 demonstrators met under the motto “Never again fascism! Never again war! ”A.

In 2007 and 2008 the commemoration of the dead was moved to the Deutschmeisterplatz in a smaller circle .

Heldenplatz was again identified as the venue in 2011. The Vienna Academic Fraternity Olympia was responsible for the organization; FPÖ Federal Party Chairman Heinz-Christian Strache was supposed to speak as the main speaker, but canceled at the last moment due to severe criticism. He had both feet firmly on the ground of the Austrian constitution and "war [was] something horrible and the crimes of the National Socialists undisputed". Around 700 demonstrators followed the calls of the Socialist Youth Austria , the Greens and the Israelite Religious Community.

In 2012 no politicians took part as speakers. Up to 1,200 demonstrators (including officials from the SPÖ, Greens and ÖGB ) disrupted the commemoration with noise and firecrackers . A contrasting event was organized by the Austrian Cartel Association (ÖCV) and the Middle Schools Cartel Association (MKV). Federal Chancellor Werner Faymann (SPÖ) and Michael Spindelegger (ÖVP) criticized the commemoration of the dead in their speeches in the Federal Chancellery.

Festival of joy

Celebration of joy on May 8, 2013 on Heldenplatz

Since 2013, the federal government has been holding a vigil by the armed forces and a gala concert by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra on May 8th every year on Heldenplatz as a “commitment to democracy and freedom in Austria” to celebrate liberation from National Socialism and to pay tribute to the victims and resistance fighters. Defense Minister Gerald Klug said in the press on May 6, 2013 : “Where the fraternity members have marched in the past few years, this time soldiers will stand guard in memory of the victims of fascism. […] There must be no space for relevant groups, especially not on Heldenplatz. "The Vienna Corporationsring and the Ring Volkstreuer Associations declared that they were pleased to note" that this year the memory of the dead is a worthy and official one Framework is given. "

Speaker

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Andreas Huber: Denazification and backlash. Students 1945–1950. In: Andreas Huber, Katharina Kniefacz, Alexander Krysl, Manès Weisskircher: University and discipline. Members of the University of Vienna and National Socialism. LIT Verlag, Münster 2011. pp. 157-310, here p. 296.
  2. ↑ a b c d e Werner Beninger, Hans Werner Scheidl: “Right” memorial for the dead on Heldenplatz on May 8th, “Left” counter demos - the Viennese police do not want to decide until May 7th . In: Die Presse , May 3, 2002.
  3. ↑ Klaus Dutzner: "Without us red-green chaos" (interview). In: Format , 18/2002.
  4. ↑ a b c Norbert Stanzel: Frivolous Zündelei . In: Kurier , May 4, 2002.
  5. ↑ Thomas Mathoi: Do you need that? In: Tiroler Tageszeitung , May 18, 2002.
  6. ↑ a b c fraternity members omitted commemorations of the dead . In: Salzburger Nachrichten , May 9, 2005.
  7. ↑ Controversial commemoration of the dead . In: Wiener Zeitung , May 8, 2007.
  8. ^ Commemoration of the dead in front of the ministry . In: Der Standard , May 7, 2008.
  9. ↑ a b Strache speaks when the fraternity members are honored . In: Der Standard , April 8, 2011.
  10. ↑ Revolt against the historical image of the Right Strache canceled appearance at fraternity rally at the last moment . In: Der Standard, May 9, 2011 .
  11. ↑ Michael Sprenger: Strache commemorating the dead "for all honorable gentlemen" . In: Tiroler Tageszeitung , May 7, 2011
  12. ^ Violent protests against commemoration of the dead , ORF .at, May 8, 2011.
  13. ↑ Against cheating on guilt . In: Tiroler Tageszeitung , May 9, 2012.
  14. ↑ a b c Loud protest against “Totengedenken” , ORF.at, May 8, 2012
  15. ↑ Peter Mayr: Symphoniker against “Totengedenken” of the fraternity , In: Der Standard, April 9, 2013.
  16. ^ Wiener Zeitung : Festival of Joy: Beethoven instead of fraternity on May 8th. , May 9, 2013
  17. ↑ Best of 2013-15. The celebration of the day of liberation. Mauthausen Committee Austria , accessed on October 15, 2016 .
  18. ↑ May 8th: Fraternity members 'delighted' with the army vigil . In: Die Presse, May 6, 2013.
  19. ↑ up there
  20. ↑ "I had a comrade" on Heldenplatz . In: Die Presse , May 9, 2003.
  21. ↑ Katrin Burgstaller, Rainer Schüller: FPÖ: Strache in Italy - Mölzer: "Bankrottaussage des Third Camp" , in: Der Standard, May 9, 2011.