Academic Ball: Protests erupt against FPÖ event in the Hofburg!

Academic Ball: Protests erupt against FPÖ event in the Hofburg!

The controversial “Academic Ball” in the Vienna Hofburg officially began on Friday evening. Prominent members of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) were among the guests, including National Council President Walter Rosenkranz and Tyrol's state party chairman Markus Abwerzger. However, a central figure was missing: FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl had long since canceled his visit. The ball has attracted criticism for years because it is perceived by many as a meeting of right-wing extremists, as reported by oe24.at clarified. Instead of a rosary, a doctor opened the event this year.

At the same time, a protest demonstration against the ball took place in Vienna. Under the motto “Fire and flame for the patriarchy: fight against sexism in the Hofburg and the state,” hundreds of demonstrators gathered to express their displeasure with the event. According to the organizers of the demonstration, among whom Axel Magnus from the “Offensive Against the Right” deserves special mention, the protest is intended to draw attention to the backward image of women and gender in the ethnic fraternities. The police were on duty with several hundred officers, but the march was largely peaceful until the early evening salzburg24.at reported.

Protests and traffic disruptions

The route of the demonstration led across the ring to Stephansplatz, where a final rally took place. Due to the protests and a ban on parking around the Hofburg, the police expected major traffic disruptions in the inner city. Sections were closed from as early as 5 p.m., which significantly affected traffic flows in the city. Critics, including those from the Vienna Greens, said that continuing the ball in the Hofburg would be a “fatal sign”.

The past of the Academic Ball is marked by violent protests, with some violent clashes, especially in 2014. In the years that followed, however, the situation remained relatively calm, even if there is still great resentment against the German-national fraternities that have been organizing the ball since 1952. This year the question remains whether the calm phase can continue or whether the former tensions flare up again, while prominent guests such as Martin Sellner, who is classified by the authorities as a right-wing extremist, appear again in the state rooms of the Hofburg.