FPÖ victory in legal dispute: Satirical media must not deceive!

FPÖ victory in legal dispute: Satirical media must not deceive!

In the legal dispute over forged pub letters, the FPÖ triumphed before the Supreme Court (OGH). The disputes began in April 2023, when letters were sent on behalf of the FPÖ to 500 taverns in Lower Austria, satirically attacking the party's “tavern bonus”. The letters mentioned a newly created “Department for the Promotion of Patriotic Food Culture.” The FPÖ was accused of distributing these letters under the wrong name. While the “Tagespresse” won against the FPÖ in the first instance, the Vienna Commercial Court dismissed the party’s lawsuit, which then filed an appeal. This has now been decided by the Supreme Court in favor of the FPÖ on all points, which is seen as a victory for credibility in political disputes, as Alexander Murlasits, the state party secretary of the FPÖ, stated. The “Tagespresse” is now obliged to publish the verdict in regional media and to cover the FPÖ’s legal costs.

The FPÖ, which sees itself as a right-wing populist party, has changed its position in Austrian politics in recent months and has become more important. It is represented in all state parliaments and the National Council and has repeatedly caused a stir in the past with controversial statements and connections to right-wing extremist media. According to a publication on Wikipedia, the party sees itself as a representative of the “third camp” and sees itself as inheriting the national-liberal value system of the bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1848. Is the FPÖ on the way to strengthening its ideological roots and positioning itself as a clear political force? The developments in connection with the Wirtshausbriefe and the current reactions show only part of an extensive political game that will continue to concern the Austrian public Wikipedia reported.