The monument to the Viennese mayor Karl Lueger (1844-1910), who is now controversial for his anti-Semitic sentiments, on the Ringstrasse has been daubed with black paint. The action is believed to have taken place on Monday. The perpetrator or perpetrators are not yet known.
Slogans like “Nazi”, “shame” and the like have been around for a long time. painted on the base of the statue. The installation “Lueger temporär”, a wooden construction 39 meters long, 5 meters wide and 11 meters high, was recently placed in front of the monument.
Nicole Six and Paul Petritsch created the artwork as a “discursive Schaulager”. The temporary installation also drew criticism: for example, representatives of the Jewish Austrian university students demanded “tackling anti-Semitism – not decorating colorfully”.
The discussion about the future of the monument continues
A competition will soon be launched for the permanent artistic contextualization of the monument. On the other hand, many are calling for the monument to be completely removed and for the name of Lueger-Platz to be changed. Markus Figl (ÖVP), inner city district leader, and City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler (SPÖ) speak out against a removal.
Controversial monuments should not be ‘cleared away’, but rather opportunities should be created ‘in the diversity of positions’ to reflect together on history, present and future. “I don’t want a clean city. That would be a watering down of history,” said the alderman at the opening of the installation in mid-October.
The extent of the new damage is still unclear
When the city learned of the new act of vandalism, a restorer was immediately ordered to inspect and record the new damage, the Culture City Council’s office said. The monument has already been cleaned twice. However, because it was assumed that smearing would return, the restorers had advised against further measures, as the substance of the stone would be damaged by too frequent cleaning. It is now waiting for the expert’s new recommendation for action.
“Protest and criticism is a form of relating to a problem. Seen in this way, it can also be part of our desired confrontation with the monument. We have always invited people to engage in critical, open and meaningful dialogue. This is not the only reason why vandalism should be firmly rejected,” says Kaup-Hasler.
Source: Krone
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