Illegal symbolism – the two-headed eagle affair in the army is making waves

“I promise to protect my homeland, the Republic of Austria, and its people and to defend them with arms.” Part of the loyalty formula that red-white-red military servants must adopt. Now the extremist agitation.

Soldier formed a double eagle
“First instruction and prayer with (…) the guard company. Good luck as a soldier and God bless!” – The Catholic Military Parish posted this about a (now deleted) photo on Facebook. However, a sensitive detail was overlooked: among the soldiers, a young soldier in uniform formed with his hands the highly controversial double-headed eagle of the Albanian flag.

Allowed in uniform, prohibited in football kit
Although the symbol is not banned here, the armed forces responded quickly to the ‘Krone’ request. Defense Department spokesman Col. Michael Bauer confirmed: “We have initiated an internal investigation.”

For the club president of the Vienna FPÖ, who exposed the affair on X (formerly Twitter), “this photo is an example of the integration policy that has been failing for years.”

The double eagle celebration by two Swiss national players with Kosovar roots in the match against Serbia sparked excitement in football at the World Cup in Russia. FIFA imposed a penalty for “unsportsmanlike conduct” and the gesture is now banned in the Swiss team.

The suspicion of extremism in the army is not an isolated incident
It is not the first sensitive suspicion in the army. Of course, they do not want to say how many cases there are in their own ranks, so as not to be able to draw concrete conclusions about the intelligence service’s investigations. In the past year, the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence Service (DSN) made almost ten reports of suspected extremism or terrorism among soldiers.

A TikTok video in a barracks in Vorarlberg with the banned Turkish wolf salute caused a stir in the past. “Erdoğan’s soldiers in the army” also made headlines. It concerned illegal dual citizens with Turkish passports who wanted to avoid military service in their home country. This lasted twice as long at twelve months and was much more dangerous because of operations against the PKK. The scandal came to light due to an increasing number of requests for confirmation of seniority with a round seal in military commands.

The fact is that the share of migrants wearing uniforms is increasing. Years ago, for example, one in four people in the elite guard was Muslim.

There are no longer current figures because, for data protection reasons, religious beliefs no longer need to be stated.

Extremism as a silent danger: fewer reports thanks to sanctions
There is a risk of high fines of up to 4,000 euros for “displaying” banned symbols of extremist organizations. Since March 2022, investigators have had the authority to crack down on public support for the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Croatia’s Ustasha movement.

So far, hundreds of reports have been made about this and in most cases they have been punished with hefty ‘fees’ – after all, repeat offenders can also expect a fine of up to 10,000 euros per case. This fact is already having an impact when you look at the figures in the focal point of Vienna.

About fifty reports have been registered in recent years; in 2023, the Ministry of the Interior registered ‘only’ thirty cases. When asked by the “Krone”, a spokesperson explained that there was no further distinction in which symbolism was shown.

The number of unreported cases is much higher: the perpetrators are active underground
However, for domestic researchers, the raw figures do not indicate an easing of the situation. The terrible fines have made the perpetrators more cautious, but the ideas are still diligently spread underground: “The number of unreported cases is much higher, the problem still exists,” confirms an expert on the ground.