Far-right salute

Group Photo of Conservative Students Causes Outrage

Group photo featuring a clearly far-right salute(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zVg)

What is going on in the minds of some members of the conservative student body? After the “Krone” published disgusting chat messages that degrade women and are racist and inhumane, the next scandal has already emerged. In a group photo—which also features a future Student Union representative—a far-right salute is displayed. 

First off: Of the seven young men seen in the photo leaked to the “Krone,” only one was still a member and representative of the Student Union as of Tuesday—which, after all, is the largest student representative body in the state. In response to an inquiry from the “Krone,” it was stated that the individual in question was immediately expelled on Tuesday. The rest of the young men are likely friends of that representative.

There is much about this photo that is troubling. The group photo has a martial air to it; it was likely not taken in any official setting—and, above all, appears to have been deliberately staged. 

Disturbing Setting at a Student Gathering
An Austrian flag lies on the table behind which the students are sitting and standing. On top of it are two candles; a cross with Jesus has been draped over it, as has a soldier’s helmet. There is also a book on the table, though it has not yet been identified. In any case, it appears to be an old book—whether it has any connection to the far right is unclear. Disturbing: One of the boys pictured is grinning and giving the “88 salute” (the eighth letter of the alphabet, standing for “Heil Hitler”) to the camera. 

Also disturbing is the setting, which includes an Austrian flag, candles, a cross, a soldier’s helmet, and an unidentifiable—but presumably older—book.(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Christian-conservative on the outside, far-right on the inside
It must be made clear that this incident has only a limited connection to the Schülerunion as an organization. As reported, the Viennese member was immediately expelled. Furthermore, the young man is said not to have been a member at the time the photo was taken in 2024.

Nevertheless, the photo casts a shadow on the crude mindset of some who would officially describe themselves as Christian-conservative. Incidentally, one of the people pictured is not a “lone actor.” On his Instagram account, he regularly posts photos in which he proudly shows the same hand gesture to the camera. 

Disgusting Chats Cause a Stir Among Students
Just on Monday, screenshots were leaked to the “Krone” that reveal the extremely racist, sexist, and inhumane attitudes of some student representatives. In that case, a chat group that included members of the Student Union contained statements such as “A woman without breasts is worthless,” “I’ll go to the party dressed as an SS officer then,” or “The more an animal suffers, the better the meat tastes...”

Excerpts from a chat among students and former students leaked to the “Krone”(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

The student representatives reacted quickly in that case as well. They condemned the statements—which had apparently been made by Carinthian representatives—as “deeply disturbing” and pointed to awareness-raising workshops and guidelines for chat groups that had already been implemented.