Two sentences and the photo of a police officer at an anti-corona demonstration in Innsbruck in 2021 have been spread on Facebook, causing an avalanche of lawsuits across Austria. The police officer, who was wrongly pilloried on Facebook as violent, sued about a thousand users who spread or commented on the photo. Also many Styria. The negotiations took place on Tuesday in Graz.
Hundreds of Corona opponents demonstrated in the Tyrolean capital in February 2021. Arrests also took place. Including from an 82-year-old who interfered with an official act. A 32-year-old police officer from Carinthia was also there and made the arrest.
“The police officer escalated”
Shortly afterwards, a photo of the police officer in question appeared on Facebook with the words: “Let this police officer’s face go around the world. This police officer escalated the situation during a demonstration in Innsbruck. An 82 year old innocent man was pulled to the ground, arrested and interrogated for hours,” one user wrote – and thousands shared the post completely thoughtlessly.
The police officer had to justify himself
“On the way back from the mission, a friend called me and asked what I was doing,” the Carinthian said at an earlier trial in Wiener Neustadt. There would also have been a need for justification to family members, colleagues and club members. He did not want to accept the accusation and hired a lawyer.
In Graz alone there are 70 to 80 procedures
Neither a police officer nor a lawyer were present at Tuesday’s hearing at the regional criminal court in Graz. But everything should have been said anyway. After all, the trials have been running throughout Austria for three years. “There are seventy to eighty proceedings underway in Graz alone,” Judge Christoph Lichtenberg explained to a school class who had come to the hearing.
Commented with pig emoji
One of these many procedures also involved a 62-year-old Styrian. “It was a thoughtless post, which in retrospect was of course madness,” said his lawyer. “You responded to this message with a police emoji and a pig emoji?” the judge asked. “Yes, I’m very sorry.” – ‘You didn’t know it was wrong, but you didn’t check it either?’ – “No,” the pensioner shook his head, visibly upset.
Almost 5000 euros settlement payment
The pensioner immediately accepted the police officer’s settlement offer – almost 5,000 euros (half of which was legal costs), a retraction published on the Internet and the removal of the post. He also apologized. That’s why there is no condemnation this time. The probation period lasts one year and he also immediately pays the legal costs of 150 euros. The public prosecutor agrees to the diversion and termination of the proceedings.
“So always think carefully before you comment or share something next time,” the judge told the students. As you can see, a message like this can be quite expensive.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
