Old security breach

How Identitarians made it to the parliament palace

(Bild: „Krone“-Leserreporter)

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Vienna and the provincial capitals last Friday to demonstrate against right-wing extremism, which is becoming increasingly established in Austria. Some Identitarians did not miss this opportunity and caused a stir with a disruptive action. In doing so, they exploited an old security loophole in parliament, as has now become known.

The former leader of the Austrian Identitarian Movement, Martin Sellner himself, is said to have taken part in the action, as can be inferred from various postings on social media. He denies this.

In any case, a total of three people got onto the roof of Palais Epstein, which belongs to the parliament, during the "demonstration against the right". There they used pyrotechnics and unveiled a poster with the usual messages. The police reported that they were charged with disorderly conduct. So far, so familiar.

Three people had climbed onto the roof of Palais Epstein during the "demonstration against the right".

(Bild: „Krone“-Leserreporter)

But can it really be so easy in the Austrian state to "hijack" the roof of such an important building - the location of the parliamentary clubs, among other things - quite a few people have wondered since then. Apparently yes. An insider confirmed a media report to krone.at on Wednesday that the three right-wing activists had simply accessed the Palais via the roof of the adjacent building - unfortunately a long-known security vulnerability that had probably been forgotten.

Mysterious break-in back in 2015
The three troublemakers on Friday were not the first to gain access to the parliament building in this way. There had already been a mysterious break-in there in 2015; the perpetrators had also gained access to the roof via the adjoining building. Masked men broke open a skylight and entered the building (they ransacked offices and caused "considerable damage") - but the Identitarians refrained from doing so on Friday ...

Identitarians around Martin Sellner & Co. scaled the roof of the Palais Epstein, which belongs to the parliament, via the outbuilding.

(Bild: Parlamentsdirektion/Christian Hikade/krone.at)

"No protective devices whatsoever"
The parliamentary administration now told krone.at that it could be ruled out that the activists' aim was to gain access to parliament. It could also be ruled out that the three could have accessed the roof through the Palais itself. The passage to the structurally linked neighboring building on Schmerlingplatz is unfortunately not secured by any protective devices (such as a fence of the appropriate height), it is confirmed. However, the parliamentary administration now wants to re-evaluate this.

A ban on the three men is also being considered. 

According to the organizers, at least 80,000 people gathered in front of the parliament in Vienna on Friday to "defend democracy" despite the rain. According to the police, there were up to 35,000 people. There were also protest events in Innsbruck and Salzburg.

"I was not on the roof"
Sellner saw a "modest feel-good ritual of left-wing civil society", as he said on Telegram. And: "I wasn't on the roof. I'm not allowed to, I'm banned from the roof." He was in the coffee house at the time.