Covid in Austria: Continued Régime Decay as President Looses in Court vs. Independent Media and 'Experts™' Act as Block Wardens
Reaffirmed by the Appeals Court, it is now fine to state that president Van der Bellen 'trampled the constitution' while 'Scientists™' are increasingly desperate and seek to shut down 'deniers'
Prelim: Substack says this posting is ‘near email length’. Act accordingly.
I haven’t written much Austria recently, if only because it’s hard to pick the right start (there’s so much BS going on) or where to stop (same reason, but some things are more telling). Readers may recall the fear-mongering about ‘Covid! Covid! Covid!’ in legacy media, as always assisted by ‘experts™’.
The ‘winter wave’ came, peaked, and went away without a single mandate. Sure, the usual suspects were denouncing their former fellow travelling Zero Covid Hawk. Oh, for sure, there were some pieces (in the expectable places) that were totally off the charts in therms of stupidity. But none of this would have justified wasting your (or my) time on them.
Today, however, I’ve got not only one but two such telling pieces, although the first one requires a few lines of context:
Some time ago, one Florian Machl, editor-in-chief of one of the many alternative (independent) media outlets, Report24, called out Austria’s president Alexander Van der Bellen (Greens, of course) because he was very much pro-vaccine mandates and consistently called out the citizenry.
I’m planning a bigger ‘review’ piece about Austria’s shameful vaxx mandate, but for the time being, these will have to do:
Yes, I’ve skipped some pieces in-between, but since the two-year anniversary of the shameful vaccine mandate is coming up, two things are important to remember: there were sustained mass protests against such measures, and the régime eventually folded: although the vaccine mandate act passed parliament (shame), it was signed by Austro-Covidian president signed it into law (shame).
And for that—the signing into law of a highly problematic piece of legislation—Florian Machl called out Van der Bellen and stated the latter would be ‘trampling the constitution’ (orig. ‘die Grundrechte…mit Füßen treten’), arguing that, morals apart, the president should not have signed such an act even if passed by parliament due to its anti-constitutional nature.
Instead, Mr. Van der Bellen took Mr. Machl to court and sued him for defamation (talk about ‘thick skins’ one would have to ‘be in politics’). Of course, the president (ab)used his position, status, and the coffers of the federal presidency to wage his petty retaliation campaign vs. Mr. Machl who, let’s not mince words here, merely stated the facts as he, an independent journalist, saw them: that the vaccine mandate infringed on civil liberties enshrined in the constitution (fun fact for wonks: these civil liberties actually pre-date the republican set-up as they are a hold-over from Austria’s first true written constitution, the so-called December Constitution of 1867), and called on Van der Bellen to refuse signing the act.
And for doing so, the president took the journalist to court—and lost, not once (in spring/summer 2023) but twice (these days). After the first smack-down occurred, Van der Bellen, still (ab)using his office for personal vanity, appealed the ruling, which has now been upheld a second time.
Apologies for the long context, but it’s important to establish these for the following piece, an op-ed, written by friend-of-these pages Bernd Stracke on the occasion of the successful court case of journalist Florian Machl.
As always, here and in the following piece, translation, emphases, and bottom lines mine.
Tyrol's ‘Independent’ Concealment of Facts about Van der Bellen's Legal Double Whammy (orig. Bauchfleck)
By Bernd Stracke, Report24, 23 Jan. 2024 [source]
Congratulations on the Austrian President's birthday there were, but not a word about his second defeat in court against Florian Machl: is this the ‘independent reporting’ of the Tiroler Tageszeitung [TT, the Tyrol’s main legacy daily] that it prides itself on? Bernd Stracke, former editor-in-chief of the newspaper, dedicates a trenchant guest commentary to this concealment of facts.
On 18 Jan. 2024, directly below the front page declaration of the Tiroler Tageszeitung as an ‘independent daily newspaper for the Tyrol’, a ‘teaser’ (orig. Anreißer, a text or image intended to entice readers to read on and often refers to the actual article inside the paper on the front page of a medium) congratulated the Federal President ‘for all Austrians’, Professor Van der Bellen, on his 80th birthday, congratulations I am joining in out of all required due cordiality [this is about the same level of formulation as ‘bless his heart’ means…].
This teaser (in the TT’s original: ‘The rise of a refugee boy to the top of the republic’) directs the reader to a format-filling hymnal for the head of state placed prominently on page 3, written by TT’s head of domestic policy, Michael Sprenger (whose author's abbreviation ‘Misp’ has repeatedly given rise to considerable confusion—laughter—in the industry [this is hard to translate, but here goes: Mr. Stracke writes mistverständlich, which translates into ‘understandably garbage’, with Mist (garbage) being just a consonant away from ‘Misp’]). Anyone who has not long since fallen out of the habit of reading the left-wing TT will perhaps remember dozens of previous political advertising texts by the hard-working Green writer and ardent Van der Bellen fanboy ‘Misp’, more or less well disguised as commentaries, editorials, interviews, and personality stories.
‘Misp’ was honoured with the Kurt Vorhofer [Journalism] Prize in 2017 by none other than the very head of state he hyped in the TT because, according to the jury, as a ‘keen observer and precise commentator’, he (‘Misp’) always conveyed ‘credible critical distance to all parties’ to his readership [one could also ‘speculate’ here about incestuous relations between the various ‘estates’ of the republic].
This ‘keen observer’ of the TT, however, apparently missed the Austrian Press Agency [hence, APA] report ‘OTS0061’, dated 17 Jan. 2024 at 10:40 a.m., in his eagerness to write his hymnal in praise of Van der Bellen who, in turn, had praised ‘Misp’ a few years earlier. In that press release, one reads of an embarrassing legal defeat of the 80-year-old head of state as follows:
Van der Bellen has grossly abused his special right of prosecution and authorised the public prosecutor's office to initiate proceedings against Machl for defamation on the basis of the criticism of his conduct in office expressed by the editor of the independent outlet Report24, Florian Machl. Following acquittal, the Court of Appeal clearly confirmed this decision and acquitted Machl once again [let that sink in for a moment].
FPÖ constitutional and human rights spokeswoman Susanne Fürst explains in this APA-OTS press release:
It has thus been confirmed [twice!] by the courts that the statement that the Federal President trampled on the constitution during the Coronavirus period constitutes permissible criticism.
FPÖ media spokesman Christian Hafenecker analyses this in the same APA press release:
What is particularly serious in this case is that Van der Bellen has not only arbitrarily decided to authorise the public prosecutor's office to open an investigation, he has also shown how he feels about freedom of the press and that fundamental rights only apply to him selectively. In doing so, he has once again confirmed the reason for the criticism being dealt with in court—namely that he is trampling on the constitution, which guarantees fundamental [and equal!] rights for all.
APA had already reported on Van der Bellen's defeat in the first instance with his lawsuit against the journalist Machl on 24 May 2023. That press release also quoted Susanne Fürst as saying that Van der Bellen had ‘embarrassed himself to the bone’. The TT [in its hymnal to the president], however, did not mention a single word about this unprecedented legal gut-punch by the thin-skinned head of state. On 19 June 2023, APA once again reported on the case of Van der Bellen vs Machl. Here, too, there was only a stunning silence from that ‘keen observer’, ‘Misp’. Does this have something to do with the fact that the two FPÖ politicians Susanne Fürst and Christian Hafenecker—unlike Green politicians—are not among ‘Misp's’ favourites? However, such one-sidedness would not be in keeping with the ‘independent’ Tiroler Tageszeitung's own journalistic ‘editorial standards’ [orig. Reinheitsgebot, or purity order, a word-play alluding to historical brewing regulations].
It has been clear since 17 Jan. 2024 that Van der Bellen's apparently paranoid persecution rage (according to a parliamentary enquiry, he is the only Federal President to have seven citizens investigated by the courts for expressing their opinions) against critical journalists has definitely been put in its place by independent judges (specifically: a senate consisting of three ladies) [that indicates Mr. Van der Bellen is a repeat offender]. However, the courageous journalist Florian Machl has so far been left to bear his legal costs [despite winning in court].
But of course we can hope that…
the Green Justice Minister Alma Zadić will take on this blatant miscarriage of justice and work towards a general resolution concerning compensation for acquitted individuals [which does not exist in Austria].
the Federal President will undoubtedly apologise to the taxpayer for the judicial grotesque staged at his expense. Van der Bellen will furthermore apologise to Machl for the inconvenience caused to him, and he may even have the modicum of decency to use his annual 400,000 euro presidential salary to reimburse the journalist for his legal expenses that occurred through no fault of his own.
TT editor ‘Misp’ will certainly fulfil his role as a ‘precise commentator’ at least in retrospect and duly rehabilitate all his journalist colleagues in legacy media if they, too, should be affected by lawsuits by politicians who trample on the constitution, even if these politicians may pretend to their voters that they always stood up for ‘unity’ and for people ‘coming together’. After all, one of TT's own adverts reads ‘Clean journalism is not magic’. However, at least until 19 Jan. 2024, nothing of the sort could be read in the TT, and some Tyroleans will probably never find out about the ‘birthday present’ that the judiciary gave the ‘Kaunertal refugee boy’ on his birthday…
Intermission
So much for ‘our free press’ and the ability of politicians to ‘own’ their own past mistakes. What’s particularly outrageous here is, of course, that the Covid régime called out all those who objected—for reasons of civil liberties, medical autonomy—as ‘traitors’, (of course) ‘right-wing scum’, and the like.
Keep in mind that the issue here isn’t so much media sucking up to the powers-that-be but the gross misrepresentation, via lying by omission, of reality.
Another key ingredient of the Covid mania has been the return to the forefront, in celebratory and laudatory tones, of blockwardens (Blockwart), or snitches who, for whatever lowly reason or motivation, seemingly enjoy pointing fingers at others.
That latter aspect is one of the key take-aways of the below piece, which concerns just one of these snitches, on Dr. Jakob-Moritz Eberl, a postdoc at the U of Vienna’s political science (sic) unit and among the chief propagators of the Covid régime’s paid ‘let’s reckon’ with the pandemic’ report (on which you may find more here)
Rental Contract Cancelled: Konzerthaus [Concert Hall] Throws Out Covid Denials
Via Heute, 24 Jan. 2024 [source]
The renowned institution pulled the emergency brake: a more than controversial doctor was due to take to the stage at an event called ‘Festabend’ [an enquete].
‘Enquete: Never Again a Pandemic’ is the cute title of the event scheduled for 21 Feb. 2024, for which the ‘Association of Friends of the List of Independent Doctors’ had rented the Konzerthaus in Lothringerstraße in Vienna-Landstraße [the venue is among the prominent concert halls and home to the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra]. The announced speakersare ‘Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg’ speaking about ‘Avoiding false alarms’ and ‘DDr. Renate Holzeisen’ with ‘Democracy put to the test’ [Dr. Wodarg is a former MEP and was instrumental in dismantling the 2009 ‘Swine Flu Pandemic’; he is loathed by public health officialdom and Big Pharma alike; DDr. Holzeisen is an Italian attorney who, as a matter of course, took the Covid Hawks to courts].
Poster Alerts Scientists
Posters advertising the event were put up in Vienna. One of them alerted scientist Jakob-Moritz Eberl, who warned against ‘science denial and anti-vaxx disinformation’ on the ‘big stage’ on X:
This is because the German [as if that mattered, with crude xenophobia perhaps serving as explanation here] doctor Wolfgang Wodarg is a prominent coronavirus denier [ah, denial of whatever, e.g., the ‘climate crisis™’ indicates a taboo] who, according to Der Spiegel [what else?], has been spreading misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine for years and dismissing the coronavirus pandemic as ‘scaremongering’. Holzeisen is a lawyer and politician from South Tyrol, and she sees the Corona measures as a violation of human rights and also rails against the vaccination. [all that’s missing here are allegations of ‘conspiracy theories’ or the like; also, for all the gaslighting Der Spiegel engages in on a virtually daily basis, see Thomas Röper’s Anti-Spiegel website]
Concert Hall Cancels Rental Agreement
The Konzerthaus probably didn't realise who they were renting to. However, after several reports, the emergency brake was pulled and, according to Mein Bezirk [a local paper], the rental agreement was cancelled. The statement from the Konzerthaus to Mein Bezirk read:
The announced event was organised as an event by the 'Friends of the Carinthian List of Free Doctors'. The organiser announced the evening to the Wiener Konzerthaus as a 'festive evening as part of the Vienna Health Days'. Based on current knowledge of the content [in advance?] and speakers [rather: cancel culture] of the event, the Wiener Konzerthausgesellschaft applies the possibility of cancellation of the contract related in paragraph 6.1 of the General Terms and Conditions for the implementation of a rental event.
Bottom Lines: What Do These Piece Signify?
At the risk of pointing out the obvious, the Federal President has ‘trampled the constitution’, which is the chief duty of the office of the presidency. When people called him out, he resorted to ‘lawfare’ tactics and tried to slap down independent journalists.
A less generous view considers the fact that the courts (!) sided with the plaintiff (said journalist, Florian Machl), not once but twice (!), reveals that President Van der Bellen, for all intents and purposes, broke the constitution he swore an oath to protect. Now, I’m not a lawyer or a legal ‘expert™’, but swearing an oath and then, while serving as the chief executive of a state, breaking it seems to me to be the textbook case of ‘treason’.
If Mr. Van der Bellen had an inkling of shame left in him, he would apologise, resign, and pay the plaintiff’s legal fees (as well as refund the state for the legal expenses the public prosecutor’s office has ramped up on his fraudulent behalf).
If parliament had a backbone, they would vote Mr. Van der Bellen out of office and put him on trial for abuse of official powers, wasting taxpayer money, and trampling on the constitution, i.e., high treason.
As regards the second piece, well, I think it signifies that the ‘debate’ about ‘Covid’ is over. Whatever is happening is no longer about ‘public health’ or ‘public safety’, but it’s about ass-covering (here’s looking at you, Jakob-Moritz Eberl) and the increasingly desperate attempts by these people to both remain ‘relevant’ in the public’s eye and to prevent, for as long as this is possible, any questioning of the dubious actions of the key perpetrators of the Covid sham.
This is indicated by a few more lines Mr. Eberl posted on Twitter:
Again for everyone: #Meinungsfreiheit [freedom of speech] does not mean that every group—no matter how absurd—has to get a big stage. Especially if this group essentially spreads health-endangering #Misinformation. [24 Jan. 2024, 9:31 p.m., source; this is the logic of Neomarxian Herbert Marcuse’s ‘Repressive Tolerance’]
Disinformation actors, as well as right-wing extremists, are concerned with legitimacy and symbolism. Appearances in mainstream media or on big stages legitimise them, normalise them and their ideas. This must continue to be prevented as best as possible. [25 Jan. 2024, 6:48 a.m., source; note the tried framing]
Let's not kid ourselves, another venue will be found, but it simply won't have the symbolic weight of the Konzerthaus as a place of high culture in the centre of Vienna. [25 Jan. 2024, 6:48 a.m., source; how much more snobbery vs. ‘the deplorables’ is possible?]
So, let’s not mince words here: Mr. Eberl and his ilk are fighting, in essence, rear-guard actions, if only because many others have moved on. Even if Dr. Wodarg and DDr. Holzeisen are shunned by ‘the Experts™’, it doesn’t mean that voters are willing to overlook the opinions of disgusting sell-outs, like Mr. Eberl.
Shame on you.
Coda: What’s in a Word or Two?
History will not be kind to people like Mr. Eberl or Mr. Van der Bellen, and of this I’m certain. Time will tell.
How do I know?
The bludgeon of labelling someone as ‘denier’ has a bad ring to it: you know, denial of ‘the climate crisis™’ is very bad, and so is ‘denial’ of ‘the Corona Pandemic™’; we note, furthermore, that ‘denial’ of ‘the Holocaust’ is a felony and outlawed in Austria and many other European countries.
The one thing that unites these various forms of ‘denialism’ (if that’s a thing) is, of course, the notion that all of these ‘denials’ are a form of taboo.
Taboos need enforcement while, at the same time, the more taboos any society has, the more expensive and costly it becomes to enforce them.
Hence, the addition of the label (taboo) of ‘denial of’ anything to more and more issues and things will simply significantly weaken, over time, the taboo on everything.
We’ve already normalised moral depravity (think: ‘Pride Month’), and with ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’, we’re in the process of normalising ‘grooming’ and pedophilia. If this somehow ‘triggers’ you, please read the ‘scientific paper’ by Harper Keenan & Lil Miss Hot Mess, ‘Drag pedagogy: The playful practice of queer imagination in early childhood’, Curriculum Inquiry, 50:5, 440-461 (we’ll look at that paper specifically in the near future).
The backlash is already building up, and the impending clash has the potential to shatter and, eventually, smash Western societies into pieces.
Hence, the significance of what is transpiring in Austro-Covidistan these days, for variations thereof can be found virtually all over the place; e.g., it’s now legal in Germany to call Ms. Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a notionally Liberal MP and among the fiercest lobbyists of the military-industrial complex, a ‘nauseant’ (orig. Brechmittel), for virtually the same reasons as those outlined above in the case of Van der Bellen vs. Machl, as reported by the Badische Zeitung a few days ago.
The times are indeed changing, and we’ll quite likely see more change than anyone can anticipate.
Buckle up.