Austria-wide action

Sea of lights against the right: “Defend democracy”

Sea of lights on the main square in Graz on February 3: thousands of people took to the streets under the slogan "Defend democracy!". An Austria-wide action is to take place on February 25.(Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

Rallies and light campaigns against the right are planned throughout Austria on February 25. The actions are to take place decentrally in front of district and municipal offices, town halls or landmarks throughout the country. The Fridays for Future movement is once again calling for this under the motto "Defend democracy!".

The planned candlelight action is a continuation of the rallies on January 26 in Vienna, Innsbruck and Salzburg, which attracted tens of thousands of participants. "That was a very centralized action, now it is important to set a decentralized sign against the right in the communities," explained a spokesperson for Fridays For Future on Tuesday.

Right-wing extremist meeting as a trigger
The "Defend Democracy!" initiative was triggered by revelations from the research center "Correctiv" about a meeting of right-wing extremists in Germany on 25 November, which was attended by AfD politicians and the former head of the far-right Identitarian Movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, among others. According to the report, mass deportations of millions of people were discussed.

Reference to super election year
The light campaign on February 25 is directed against extremism, racism and xenophobia. Fridays For Future Austria is leading the way, according to the appeal for the campaign. It also refers to the super election year.

"These are right-wing extremists who oppose climate protection by all means, deny climate science and obviously have no plan for solving the climate crisis. We have to think about the two crises together," says Laila Kriechbaum from Fridays For Future Austria.

We therefore urge all democratic parties in this country to draw a clear red line and erect the long overdue firewall in Austria.

Klara König, Fridays for Future Austria

Prominent supporters
Despite the call for decentralized organization, there will again be well-known faces supporting the campaign, it was said. Details will be announced at a later date, according to the Fridays For Future spokesperson. However, we can expect similar supporters as for the action in January.

The rallies were co-organized by Black Voices and the Platform for a Humane Asylum Policy. The SPÖ, the Greens and numerous other organizations - including Caritas, Catholic Action Austria, the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) and the Chamber of Labour (AK) - had joined the call.