National Council President Walter Rosenkranz (FPÖ), who has been chairman of the National Fund for Victims of National Socialism since his election, wants to continue participating in the controversial academic ball in his new role.
Rosenkranz, a member of the German national association Libertas, gave the opening speech at this year’s edition of the Academic Ball and has been present as a guest on several occasions in the past. At the ball in Vienna’s Hofburg, right-wing politicians from all over Europe dance together with liberal celebrities and members of the brotherhood. The ball has been accompanied by left-wing counter-demonstrations for years.
Rosenkranz emphasized in an interview with the Kleine Zeitung (Saturday edition) that he would continue to attend the ball. IKG President Ariel Muzicant has announced in an open letter that he will no longer accept Rosenkranz as chairman of, among others, the National Fund.
IKG does not want to “make any compromises”.
Rosenkranz’s involvement with Libertas is also a reason why Muzicant continues to reject him as chairman of the bodies of the National Fund, the Cemetery Fund and the Wiesenthal Prize Committee, as he explained in an open letter. The Libertas was one of the first brotherhoods to introduce an ‘Aryan paragraph’ and later – like countless other Austrian brotherhoods – refused the path of denazification, unlike the German brotherhoods. Again, Muzicant also criticized the fact that Rosenkranz had described the Nazis as “high achievers” in a Libertas collection. “We have decided to help build a new, a different Austria that clearly, unequivocally and without false confessions distinguishes itself from National Socialist ideas,” the IKG president said. “Therefore, no compromises can be made for us in this area.”
A departure from Libertas is ruled out
“You have to live with that,” said Rosenkranz, commenting on the IKG’s “certain antipathy” over its membership in Libertas. He also received a lot of support from the community. “I am confident that we will find a way so that the religious community does not see me as disrupting operations.” Leaving Libertas to improve the climate at the IKG would “never be an option” for him. “This community has supported me through thick and thin and I am a loyal person.”
Rosenkranz also wants to continue participating in demonstrations. “I don’t have to bend over backwards and sit in the back room as a governess.” He criticized the ban on two demonstrations announced on Saturday on the Vienna Ring against the formation of a government without the participation of the FPÖ. Police feared traffic chaos and disruptions to businesses on the first Saturday of Christmas shopping. As a lawyer, fundamental rights and civil liberties are important to him and he therefore urgently advises the organizers to go to the Constitutional Court. “This should not happen in Austria.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
