Fuss about posters – “Signs against the right”: should residents go to court?

There are only four days left until the elections and things are getting pretty ugly in many places, especially with politically motivated slogans and graffiti on posters. A Bürmooser from the Salzburg area wanted to place a “sign against the right” together with his daughter – the Vorarlberg Green MP Nadine Kasper – and designed a very elaborate poster for this on his garden fence. When her father is now threatened with a summons from the authorities, his daughter makes the matter public on the X platform.

Public appeal “against the right”
“Shortly before the elections, we wanted to once again draw the attention of the residents of Bürmoos to the threatened shift to the right in the event of an FPÖ victory by Herbert Kickl. We wanted to position ourselves clearly.” The posters read “Kickl is poison for our future” and “We’ve had brown before, it was bad”. There is also a list of what the population would sacrifice if the FPÖ were to win the National Council elections and a call for our multicultural existence, where our “numbers would be Arab” and democracy is based on “Greek descent”.

There is a fuss about the officials’ accusations
That was probably too much for an observer: two officers from the Lamprechtshausen police promptly showed up at the door. The two allegedly accused him of “damage to property”, and a complaint was received, which is now being investigated by the Public Prosecution Service. The officers left the 70-year-old quite surprised; he had just put up the poster on August 22nd.

All it took was a phone call to the police station and the officers acknowledged receipt of the complaint. But that probably wasn’t the case, as the officers initially claimed at his door, because the police were probably wrong here. Rather, a complaint would have been filed for reputational damage.

FPÖ poster attached – and removed again
The weeks after the first visit by the authorities initially passed quietly. “Only once were our posters defaced and passers-by took pictures of them. Every now and then a car drove by, a man got out and took pictures of the covered garden fence. But then he quickly drove away again,” Kasper told the “Krone”.

The situation became strange when Kasper suddenly saw a poster opposite his house advertising the FPÖ. A short time later, the officers are at his door again. The accusation this time: a summons on suspicion of politically motivated robbery. Apparently the FPÖ poster has been removed. “The police then wanted to take me to the police station.” The 70-year-old denies stealing the poster. Kasper, visibly calm, was just about to have breakfast as he explained to the officers: “Please send me a shipment by post.”

In contrast to the complaint about defamation of the reputation of the poster he put up, for which Kasper has not yet received a letter, this time he is waiting for a summons from the police.

Infections are causing a stir
Lately, graffiti has repeatedly appeared on posters – both right-wing slogans and calls for steadfastness against Kickl. Satirical posters such as those from the “Tagespresse” also caused outrage among the FPÖ, which changed election campaign slogans such as “Thy will be done” to “Your name shall be holy.” Supporters of Kickl are visibly angry about such comparisons – as are those of Elmar and his daughter Nadine Kasper.

It must be said that Herbert Kickl himself does not skimp on questionable comparisons and propaganda slogans. This is the same man who invented “chop instead of minaret” or “Daham instead of Islam,” which similarly fuels and polarizes resentment. Ultimately, the judiciary will likely determine whether the allegations against the suspects are true and what the legal consequences will be.