350 participants at the demo against identitarians in Steyregg

On Saturday, according to police estimates, around 200 people demonstrated peacefully against an event organized by the Identitarian Movement in Steyregg (Urfahr-Environment district). At the subsequent picnic organized by the “Steyregg is colorful” initiative, organizer Wolfgang Hackl counted another 150 participants. In an interview with the APA on Saturday evening, Mayor Gerhard Hintringer (SPÖ) thanked the citizens’ initiative and renewed his criticism of state politics.

Hintringer had already made an appeal to political leaders at the state level last week: A community like Steyregg lacks the “legal framework to prevent such meetings.” On Saturday he emphasized that “certain laws have to be changed so that even a mayor can prevent right-wing extremist events.”

Hintringer held the responsible district administration and the state of Upper Austria particularly responsible. He would like “the Identitarians to leave Steyregg,” but as mayor he “can’t do anything – I’m just a passenger, but I’d rather be a pilot,” the mayor confirmed.

First of all, the most important thing is that the rally against the Identitarian Movement was calm and peaceful. For him, “the most important message is that Steyreggers stick together, and we can be incredibly proud of that.” As a community, we will “not rest” until it is ensured “that our children and grandchildren can live their lives the way they want.”

Wolfgang Hackl, organizer of the “Picnic for Diversity and Tolerance” of the “Steyregg is colorful” initiative, also drew a positive conclusion after the counter-demonstration: Everything went according to plan, the participants of the picnic exchanged ideas throughout the afternoon and made their displeasure known without incident . They want to work together to prevent the language in politics and on the street from becoming more brutal: “With Jörg Haider it was still a scandal 30 years ago – today politicians from the right-wing spectrum are allowed to say whatever they want,” warned Hackl to the APA . It is the duty of all politicians and civil society to take action against right-wing extremist ideas.

Several groups from Steyregg and the surrounding area took part in the demonstration against the right. In advance, the “Steyregg is colorful” initiative had emphasized in a broadcast that the city was “a peaceful place” where “inhumane ideologies are not spread nor radical protests against them lead to riots.” The citizens’ initiative was originally formed because a building in Steyregg was sold about two years ago to a new owner who, according to Hackl, maintains close contacts with the Identitarian movement. Since then, the association has maintained its unofficial base for Upper Austria in the community.

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