First trial coming soon

Justice cracks down on far-right Austria fan scene

They have long since been unwelcome at their home club, FK Austria. Instead, they caused trouble at away games.(Bild: Krone-Collage/Mario Urbantschitsch, zVg)

After years of investigations into the hooligan group “Unsterblich Wien,” the first charges have now been filed. A supporter is facing a jury trial for proudly displaying what is believed to be an SS symbol on his leather jacket during soccer matches.

They dress in black leather jackets, are heavily tattooed, and are usually seen riding motorcycles. An image they also project on social media, where they don’t shy away from proudly representing their problematic views. Just one of many Facebook posts: “I don’t need to argue with you. I’ll kick you in the face, because at my school, hooligans taught ethics.”

And this is exactly the kind of group these men belong to—those who, under the guise of being soccer fans, commit serious and particularly far-right crimes.

Banned from their own stadium
Since 2022, the Klagenfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office has been conducting a preliminary investigation against 13 suspects from the hooligan group “Unsterblich Wien”—supporters of the Vienna soccer club FK Austria. And the radicals have caused far too many problems even for their own club; they have long been banned from their home stadium, the Generali Arena, and since 2013, Austria has not even recognized them as a fan club.

Convicted felons proudly wear SS symbols
But that doesn’t seem to stop the hooligans from attending matches—they go to away games instead. Most of them have extensive criminal records, with dozens of entries—assault, resisting arrest, making dangerous threats, and, in particular, promoting National Socialist ideology. And that is precisely what the extensive, years-long investigation—initiated after a soccer match at the Wörthersee Stadium—is all about.

Left: The unit insignia of the 3rd SS Panzer Division. Right: The group logo of the hooligans “Unsterblich Wien”(Bild: Krone-Collage/zVg)

Particularly striking: All members wear leather or denim jackets with the same patches, featuring a skull that bears a suspicious resemblance to an earlier SS symbol (see above). “Given the history of the ‘Unsterblich Wien’ group, as well as the numerous members known to the authorities who hold clear neo-Nazi views, there is well-founded suspicion that the individuals in question are deliberately seeking to spread National Socialist ideology,” according to a report by the State Security Service.

The Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office has now filed the first charges against one of the “Unsterblich Wien” hooligans. The charge: promotion of Nazism through the wearing of the relevant patches. During a house search, dozens of Nazi memorabilia were also seized. A trial date has not yet been set.