Defender of Europe

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The conference was organized by the European Forum Linz

Defender of Europe is the title of the right to right-wing extremist congresses of the newly founded platform European Forum Linz held on October 29, 2016 in the Redoutensaal in the Landestheater Linz and on March 3, 2018 in the Wasserschloss in Aistersheim . Only media that were politically close to the organizer had received accreditation for the event .

Goal, content and exhibitor (2016)

The congress brought together new right to right-wing extremists and thought leaders from Austria and Germany. The Arminia Czernowitz fraternity acted as notifier . According to the organizers, the conference was directed against “the ethno-cultural displacement of the European peoples” and presented “an exhibition of patriotic, identity and conservative work in the journalistic, cultural and political fields”. There was no detailed public presentation of specific contents of the conference or the exhibitors in the run-up to the event. Only media represented as exhibitors, such as the right-wing populist internet platform unzensuriert.at or the Kremlin-loyal Info-Direkt platform , reported directly from the congress. The Austria Press Agency (APA), for example, had not received any accreditation.

The exhibitors included the right-wing extremist to neo-Nazi Austrian party, the Working Group for Democratic Politics , the new-right magazines Blaue Narzisse and Compact and the magazine Sezession with Götz Kubitschek , and speakers included FPÖ Secretary General Herbert Kickl and Compact publisher Jürgen Elsässer . The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Upper Austria also names the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement and the German network One percent for our country . More than 300 visitors are said to have come.

In April 2017 it was announced that the congress would take place for the second time in September 2017. Due to the election of the National Council , the event was postponed to March 3, 2018. According to Der Standard, the connections between the FPÖ and the congress played an important role in postponing the event. Networking meetings with liberal and right-wing extremist participants would make headlines.

reception

The Viennese political scientist Kathrin Glösel described the event as a "demonstration of power and a strategic meeting that poses a threat to democracy". All in all, it is about “pushing the political discourse to the far right”. Werner Reisinger wrote in the Wiener Zeitung that the congress organizers would pursue the goal of blurring the boundaries between the New Right, classic right-wing extremism and right-wing populism . The documentation archive of the Austrian Resistance found a “ neo-fascist list ” of the meeting.

On the occasion of the conference, the alliance Linz against the Right organized a counter-demonstration, which received broad support from civil society. Among others, the Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern ( SPÖ ) and other SPÖ and ÖVP politicians such as Franz Vranitzky , Erhard Busek and Heinrich Neisser , as well as some concentration camp survivors and other personalities from culture, religion and society supported the protest. 1,800 people officially took part in the demonstration.

The criticism of the conference was directed against the venue and the participating speakers and exhibitors. The representative redout halls in the Linz State Theater were rented out by the State of Upper Austria . The Mauthausen Committee Austria and Upper Austria. Network against racism and right-wing extremism ( Antifa network) demanded in an open letter to the Upper Austrian Governor Josef Pühringer ( ÖVP ) that the congress be held. The letter was signed a. a. by Erhard Busek , Elfriede Jelinek , Robert Menasse , Franzobel , Maria Hofstätter , Cornelius Obonya and Harald Krassnitzer . The rector of the University of Klagenfurt , Oliver Vitouch , sent a letter of protest to the governor: "I protest strongly against the fact that groups of people who are re- operating in a new guise should be made available to represent the state." The Salzburg auxiliary bishop Andreas Laun said his participation. The fact that the press was not allowed and the organizers did not answer any questions also caused protests. Pühringer had the event checked by the Austrian Office for the Protection of the Constitution and, after their statement, saw no reason to cancel the event: “[...] despite the possible participation of people from the right-wing extremist camp, there was no information available that would per se be an event that was illegal or illegal , which the security authorities would have to counter in advance ”. Attempts by the SPÖ and the Greens in the provincial government of Upper Austria to dissolve the event failed because of the dissenting votes from the ÖVP and FPÖ . Alexander Van der Bellen shared the concerns about the event. They put Austria in the wrong light and send signals that damage Austria's reputation in Europe and the world.

Congress 2018

On March 3, 2018, a congress with the same title “Defender of Europe” took place in the private Aistersheim Palace. The right-wing extremist magazine "Info-Direkt" acted as the organizer, and the premises were rented by the fraternity "Arminia Czernowitz", which was involved in 2016. In the run-up to the event, the Mauthausen Committee had submitted a list drawn up by Uwe Sailer , including photos of defects in the building fabric. The mayor of Aistersheim , Rudolf Riener (ÖVP), subsequently commissioned an expert opinion on the security of the property in his function as the building authority. According to the mayor, this showed that the deficiencies were not so serious and that the congress could take place. The anti-fascist alliance Linz against Right announced a counter-demonstration with 500 participants against what they consider to be the "largest right-wing extremist event of its kind in the German-speaking area". Maria Buchmayr from the Greens called for a solidarity against the "anti-democratic event", since Upper Austria should not become the playground of the right-wing European scene. As speakers at the congress u. a. the Graz Vice Mayor Mario Eustacchio (FPÖ) and the AfD politician Andre Poggenburg . After the end of the congress and the counter rally, the parish council of Aistersheim invited to a celebration for peace, tolerance and humanity as well as a sea of ​​lights. Birgit Gerstorfer (SPÖ) and Maria Buchmayr (Die Grünen) accused Upper Austrian Governor Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP) of inactivity in this context.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Werner Reisinger: right-wing extremism. A congress of “completely normal people” , Wiener Zeitung, November 1st, 2016
  2. ↑ Information on the academic fraternity (aB!) Arminia Czernowitz zu Linz , DÖW
  3. ^ Herwig G. Höller: "Info-Direct": Kremltreu in Linz. In: zeit.de . January 18, 2016, accessed November 2, 2017 .
  4. ↑ The "Defenders of Europe" in the Redoutensaal? In: Upper Austrian news . October 1, 2016, accessed October 27, 2016 .
  5. ^ Protests against the right-wing congress in Linz. In: DiePresse.com . October 21, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016 .
  6. ↑ a b Risk assessment by the BVT , on land-oberoesterreich.gv.at. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  7. ↑ orf.at: Again right-wing congress announced in Linz . Article dated April 22, 2017, accessed April 22, 2017.
  8. ^ Right- wing “Defenders of Europe” will meet again in Linz in March. Retrieved July 27, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Fabian Schmid: Right “Defenders of Europe”: Congress in Linzer Prachtpalais , Der Standard, August 3, 2017
  10. ↑ Networking meeting of the new right . Kathrin Glösel in conversation with Ute Welty, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, October 29, 2016 (archive), accessed on November 11, 2017
  11. ↑ http://www.doew.at/erkennen/rechtsextremismus/neues-von-ganz-rechts/archiv/oktober-2016/konferenz-der-verteidiger-europas-referentinnen-und-aussteller , October 2016, accessed on 10. July 2018
  12. ^ Right Congress in Linz: Prohibition of space and criticism by the Chancellor. In: DiePresse.com. October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016 .
  13. ↑ Hundreds demonstrate against right-wing congress in Linz , Die Presse, October 29, 2016
  14. ↑ Redout halls in the country rented out for right-wing meetings. Retrieved November 1, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Right “performance show” in the redoutes halls of Linz. Retrieved November 1, 2017 .
  16. ^ Right Congress: "Defenders of Europe" want to meet again in Linz. Retrieved November 1, 2017 .
  17. ^ Right "Defenders of Europe": Congress in the magnificent Linz palace. Retrieved November 1, 2017 .
  18. ↑ The participants of the “Congress of Defenders of Europe” sorted by right-wing extremism factor. Retrieved November 1, 2017 .
  19. ^ Criticism of the “Defender of Europe” congress in Linz. Retrieved November 1, 2017 .
  20. ↑ Police are preparing for right-wing congress. In: ORF. October 26, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2017 .
  21. ^ Linz: "Hateful slogans" in state rooms. In: The press . October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016 .
  22. ^ Opinion on the BTV report , on land-oberoesterreich.gv.at. Retrieved October 27, 2016
  23. ^ Right meeting will take place in Linz. In: ORF . October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016 .
  24. ↑ 1,800 demonstrators against the Right- Wing Congress , ooe.ORF.at, October 29, 2016
  25. ↑ http://ooe.orf.at/news/stories/2898694/ , ORF, March 3, 2018
  26. ↑ Opinion could prevent right-wing congress orf.at, February 17, 2018, accessed February 18, 2018.
  27. ^ Right congress will take place orf.at, February 23, 2018, accessed March 2, 2018.
  28. ↑ Right congress is to take place in Aistersheim orf.at, January 4, 2018, accessed March 2, 2018.
  29. ↑ http://ooe.orf.at/news/stories/2898694/ , ORF, March 3, 2018