Suche
Mein Konto
Unlawful police operation at Peršmanhof: measures required!
Analysis of the illegal police operation at Peršmanhof in Carinthia: focus on misconduct, costs and political reactions.
Unlawful police operation at Peršmanhof: measures required!
On Sunday, October 22, 2025, there was a controversial police operation at the Peršmanhof memorial in Bad Eisenkappel, Carinthia. The large-scale operation, in which around 30 officers were on site for several hours and arrested three people, attracted critical voices due to its legal basis. The analysis group led by Mathias Vogl came to the conclusion that the operation was illegal. The deputy head of the State Office for State Protection and Combating Extremism (LSE) ordered the action on his own authority, without a sufficient legal basis and without coordination with higher superiors.
The reason for the intervention – allegedly incorrectly erected tents – was described as a “mere pretext”. This shows serious misconduct on the part of the responsible authorities, including the district captain of Völkermarkt and a representative of the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA), who also acted unlawfully. The costs of the operation amounted to around 14,700 euros.
Reactions to the police operation
The Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner reacted immediately to the results of the analysis and announced that he would consider further training and courses to raise the historical awareness of the emergency services. He also plans to use body cameras to create transparency and better document future police operations.
State Governor Peter Kaiser emphasized the need to strengthen trust in the institutions and commissioned the official inspectorate and the human resources department to examine legal steps against the district governor. The political reactions were diverse: Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ) called for clear personnel consequences, while the Greens and NEOS welcomed the results of the report. However, the FPÖ, which described the report as a “scandalous maneuver” and criticized it as a “fatal signal” to the police, was different.
Trust in the police
Similar incidents shed light on a broader problem in the relationship between police and society. The police face increasing challenges and criticism as the public continues to question trust in government institutions. Younger generations are particularly critical of police actions, especially after incidents of police violence.
A survey shows that 62% of citizens have “a lot of trust” in the police, while 20% say they have “a lot of trust.” However, 26% see racism in the police as a major problem. These developments illustrate the need for the police to reposition themselves and reflect on their own work, especially since the state's monopoly of violence must be legally controlled and legitimized. The police must continually work to justify and consolidate their trust among the population, especially in view of the recent events in Carinthia.