"It was just a meme"

Heated trial over Strache posting on Instagram

Moritz S. allegedly accused the former FPÖ leader of cocaine use in an Instagram comment. He is now defending himself with a private lawsuit in the Vienna regional court. However, the 35-year-old businessman does not want to let this sit on his hands and is going to prove the truth ...

"Heinz-Christian Strache versus ...", is the name of the game once again in Vienna's regional court. This time, however, the former Vice-Chancellor is not suing a media outlet for reporting on his divorce, but a 35-year-old start-up founder. On April 2, Moritz S. posted a comment on Instagram under a "Kurier" article that Strache would return to politics. "When I saw the post, I thought it was an April Fool's joke," the Viennese recalls.

"Meme" or slander?
However, what he had perceived as a satirical statement is now the subject of a lawsuit in Landl - he had accused the ex-FPÖ leader of cocaine use. He is suing him for defamation. "You can like my client, you can dislike him. You can support his political opinion or not. But the untrue allegation that he takes cocaine is defamatory and only serves to discredit him," said Strache's lawyer.

Moritz S. is defending himself against Strache's private accusation.(Bild: Sophie Pratschner)

The other side repeatedly claims that it was a "meme" - a picture with a funny description. "It's a phenomenon of the younger generation," Moritz S., who has already had to sign a cease-and-desist declaration, tries to explain.

However, the trump card up the sleeve of defense lawyer Wolfgang Renzl: he puts forward a witness who claims to have seen Heinz-Christian Strache perform an act that looked suspiciously like doing coke in Vienna's Club Volksgarten on 16 December 2023. Renzl thus provides proof of the truth of his client's comment. The ex-politician and two other clubbers must therefore also appear in court. Adjourned!