Police suppress protest: Jewish voices against anti-Semitism!

Police suppress protest: Jewish voices against anti-Semitism!

On the eve of the controversial Academic Ball 2025, formerly the WKR Ball, there was a massive police operation in Vienna against a peaceful protest by the Jewish Austrian Students (JöH). They had organized a video installation in the form of a “Countdown to the Nazi Ball” on the outer castle gate. Previously, the first two evenings of protests passed without incident. But the situation escalated when Udo Guggenbichler, identified as an FPÖ representative and already under investigation for re-activation, observed the meeting and made calls. The police promptly intervened and stopped the action, which was perceived by the protesters as disproportionate, as the justification for the intervention was based on an alleged “incitement complaint”. vienna.at reported.

The actual reason for the police violence, however, lies in the designation of the WKR ball as a “Nazi ball,” which, according to the police, constitutes the offense of incitement. This left Jewish students very puzzled, as the law was originally enacted to protect minorities, not to protect events or their participants. Alon Ishay, President of the JöH, expressed his dismay at the action: “Jewish students are being persecuted by the police because they criticize the ball of those fraternities that have particularly distinguished themselves through their anti-Semitism.” The JöH's legal representative, Mag. Bini Guttmann, also noted that legitimate political criticism is being suppressed here. The use of the police was seen as an alarming precedent that calls into question freedom of expression ots.at reported.

As part of the police operation, posters calling for tomorrow's demonstration at Michaelerplatz were also confiscated. The police carried out identity checks on the participants as they were also suspected of being “contributors” to the incitement. The legitimacy of these proceedings has been heavily criticized as it gives the impression that the hate speech law is being abused to silence critical voices.