Persecution of Human Rights Activists and Anti Fascists
Monument to the victims of World War II and fascism in Vienna.
In recent years, there have been no public calls for reprisals against veterans and partisans of the anti-Hitler coalition in Austria. Nevertheless, both far-right groups and the FPÖ have repeatedly called for police action and harassment of anti-fascist activists from the so-called "Black Bloc" in the context of left-wing demonstrations, for example during demonstrations against the Akademikerbal, a Vienna ball known as an international network holiday for the far right.
The authorities have not imposed any restrictions on human rights activists and anti-fascist organizations, but FPÖ has repeatedly addressed non-governmental organizations that support refugees, calling them "refugee prostitutes" or "refugee mafia." This rhetoric implies that human rights NGOs are supposedly not only well provided with state subsidies, even though they actually work "against the true interests of the Austrian people and state" by helping foreigners, but will also do anything, including illegal actions, to help foreigners, since they must work off their livelihoods.
