Vienna municipal council decides to remove a murals of a perpetrator

Vienna municipal council decides to remove a murals of a perpetrator

In Vienna, a decision by the local council causes excitement, which was recently unanimously caught. The city council has decided to remove a controversial mural at the intersection of Magdalenenstraße and Hofmühlgasse. This is done in accordance with an application for all political parties and as a statement of respect for the victims of sexual violence.

The great, surreal painting, which has been on a fire wall since 1997, received special attention after it became known that the artist was convicted of sexual offenses in 2003. According to reports, these acts are said to have taken place during photo shoots. In the past few months, not only politics, but also the feminist groups, like Ni Una Menos Austria, has demanded the immediate removal of the artwork.

quick decision without competition

Originally it was planned to redesign the place through an artistic competition, but such a process would have taken a lot of time. Therefore, the parties agreed to delete the competition and to implement a “neutral redesign” or even the complete removal of the painting at short notice. This decision was motivated by the feeling of urgent need for action.

Silvia Janoch, the family spokeswoman for the Vienna People's Party, was pleased with this rapid measure and criticized that SPÖ and NEOS had previously blocked this step. In her opinion, it is irresponsible to continue to confront the victims of sexual violence with a work of a convicted perpetrator.

a sign of respect

The decision also met with positive response among the Greens. The green women's spokeswoman Viktoria Spielmann said that this unanimous decision had been made clear that there was no place in Vienna for the protection of perpetrators. This is a step in the right direction and an important signal of respect for those affected by sexual violence.

In addition, a petition was pointed out by various organizations and supported the demand for removing the wall painting. Such collective initiatives show how strongly public awareness of these topics has grown and how important a clear positioning towards perpetrators is.

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