Incident in the lecture hall

University rector injured: Identitarian on trial

In July 2018, 17 supporters of the right-wing extremist "Identitarian Movement Austria" (IBÖ) were acquitted on the main charges in the Graz Regional Criminal Court. However, one of them had to sit in the dock again on Monday. He had injured the rector during an action at the University of Klagenfurt, whether seriously or not is now to be clarified.

The proceedings against the 17 accused lasted around a month, and now a single fact is being revisited. One of the IBÖ supporters had pushed the rector during the action at Klagenfurt University. This was qualified as assault and was also punished.

After the appeals by the public prosecutor's office and the defense were largely dismissed, a decision must now be made again on this assault. If the assault was deliberately directed against an officer, it will be classified as serious.

"Be glad that I am a professional"
The judge was less than pleased when the accused refused to name his employer during the identity check: "This is the first time in 39 years that someone hasn't said that. Great sympathy points, be glad I'm a professional."

The prosecutor was of the opinion that the rector was recognizable as a civil servant and that it therefore constituted grievous bodily harm. "What's going on at the moment is unbelievable," said the defense lawyer with regard to the handling of the Identitarians. "That was not examined at first instance. I don't want to comment on the fact that the Identitarians are presenting themselves as politically persecuted", countered the public prosecutor.

"Did you think it was the janitor"
The student insisted that he did not recognize the principal: "He didn't introduce himself to me," he said. "Who did you think it was? The janitor?" asked the judge. "I didn't deal with him," replied the defendant. "Didn't you want to hit an officer?" the presiding judge asked. "How could I do that?" the defendant was outraged.

As the rector and two other university professors were to be heard as witnesses, the hearing was adjourned. A new date had not yet been set on Monday.