From the Courtroom

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With their graffiti action, the three students wanted to draw attention to a rally in front of the Bregenz Landhaus.(Bild: Chantall Dorn)

Three climate activists had spray-painted artist Gottfried Bechtold’s concrete “Porsche” over the summer. They claimed they didn’t know the artist. They allegedly didn’t realize that the object they defaced was a work of art by the Vorarlberg-based artist. 

Three youths, aged 21, 19, and 14, are set to face charges of aggravated property damage on Thursday at the Regional Court in Feldkirch. In early July, the trio defaced the art installation—which was parked in downtown Bregenz—with red and purple spray paint. Their goal was to draw attention to a rally organized by the group “Extinction Rebellion” scheduled for the following day in front of the Landhaus. The incident did not go unnoticed. The climate activists—two from eastern Austria and one from Switzerland—were reported to the authorities.

During the hearing, the three “graffiti artists” admitted to the charges but denied having intentionally committed serious property damage. None of them, they claimed, had any idea of the concrete Porsche’s actual value. “The manufacturer’s description stated that the chalk paint was easily washable,” one of the defendants said. The students also apologized politely and respectfully to a representative of Vorarlberger Hypobank, which owns the art installation.

Scraped Together Money for Cleaning
At the suggestion of defense attorney Emelle Eglenceoglu to seek a diversion, the financially strapped students pool their cash—231.60 euros—in the courtroom to cover the cleaning costs for the concrete Porsche and hand it over to the Hypobank representative. When he then also asked for 500 euros in compensation for five hours of work, the attorney spoke up: “Please keep in mind that we’re talking about three poor students here.” The banker countered that students, too, must learn to face the consequences of their actions.

It remains to be seen whether the bank will pursue the matter in civil court. Judge Sabrina Tagwercher imposed fines of 250, 300, and 350 euros on the trio. They paid these immediately as well. The case has now been dismissed. The students have no criminal record.