Abwerzger sentenced

Tyrol’s FP leader appeals because of “moron” statement

The chairman of the Tyrolean Freedom Party, Markus Abwerzger, has been sentenced to pay a fine at the Vienna Inner City District Court after calling a social media user a "cowardly fool".

The man had sued him. Abwerzger's statement followed a post by the now plaintiff in which he had called FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl a "Bonsai Hitler". The Freedom Party politician is appealing.

Compensation for costs in the amount of 1300 euros
Specifically, the court ordered Abwerzger to refrain from making the statement in future and to pay compensation for costs amounting to a good 1,300 euros. According to the plaintiff's lawyer, Maria Windhager, one of the reasons for the ruling was that the choice of the word "moron" was defamatory, in no way served to deal with the matter itself and therefore qualified as an excess of judgment. The limit of permissible freedom of expression had therefore been exceeded and the defendant's statement was therefore unlawful.

Although he had not yet seen the judgment in detail, he would certainly appeal against it, Abwerzger announced to APA. In view of the legal proceedings, the current decision is only "a stage". Someone who dishes it out like the plaintiff must also be able to take it. "And someone who calls Herbert Kickl a 'Bonsai Hitler' must also be able to be called a 'cowardly fool'," explained the Tyrolean FPÖ leader, himself a lawyer in his civil profession.