"Deeply disturbing"

Disgusting Chats Among Local Student Representatives

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zVg, stock.adobe.com)

The chats leaked to the “Krone” are horrifying. They originate from an internal chat group of Austria’s largest student council, the Schülerunion. The conversations involve SS uniforms and animals meant to suffer. The Ukrainian president is likened to an “animal,” and women are degraded. The Schülerunion has expressed shock—and taken action.

It is a chat group that was presumably intended to remain an internal matter. It is associated with the Schülerunion, which is close to the ÖVP and, according to its own figures, is Austria’s largest student organization with more than 30,000 members. For 20 years, the Union has also provided the Federal Student Spokesperson, who serves as the voice of the country’s 1.2 million students. It is a chat group where current members of the Schülerunion’s federal and state organizations can also exchange messages with former members. The group is called “Quotes—The Real Ones.”

Apparently, it exists to collect and comment on statements and quotes from members. It is unclear how many members the group has. Now, screenshots from that group are casting a shadow over the student organization’s work. 

Inhumane, racist, and misogynistic
These are chats that were also leaked to the “Krone.” And they’re likely to make some people feel sick to their stomachs. “A woman without breasts is worthless” is one of the misogynistic statements that, according to “Krone” reports, were already being shared in the chat group as early as the fall of 2025. “I’ll go to the party as an SS officer then” can, at best, be considered in poor taste.

One of the troubling statements in the chat.(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

But Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also gets his share of abuse, being likened to “beasts,” i.e., animals. Another post reads: “The more an animal suffers, the better the food tastes...” Whether statements like these are befitting of a student council seems highly questionable. Apparently, there are numerous sexist, racist, and inhumane remarks.

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Student Union Finds Chats “Deeply Disturbing”
In response to an inquiry from “Krone,” the press officer for the Student Union, Jonas Pichlbauer, stated: “We, the Austrian Student Union, unequivocally distance ourselves from the messages published from a private chat involving individual officials of the Carinthian Student Union and condemn them in the strongest possible terms. This behavior by individuals is incompatible with our values and deeply disturbing.”

Those individuals who made reprehensible statements have already stepped down from their positions in the Schülerunion.

Jonas Pichlbauer, Pressereferent der Schülerunion

Awareness Workshops and Guidelines
Consequences were taken as soon as the chats came to light. “Every member of this chat group who is also a member of our organization was required to attend an awareness workshop,” said Pichlbauer. In any case, guidelines for the chat group have been in place since December 2025. Additionally, those individuals who “made reprehensible statements” have already stepped down from their positions in the Schülerunion. According to information from “Krone,” current federal representatives were also members of the chat group in question.