Action in Linz

StoP flash mob as a protest against femicide

Activists called for a stop to domestic violence and want politicians and civil society to take action.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

The brutal murder of a senior citizen (90) in Linz by her husband was the straw that broke the camel's back. At a flash mob in the city center on Tuesday, women protested against increasing violence. The record is indeed worrying: 13 murders have been committed against women alone since the beginning of the year.

At exactly 12.05 pm, a whistle sounded on Martin-Luther-Platz in Linz. 13 women wrapped in "StoP" banners fell to the ground and lay motionless for several minutes. Others used posters and a cross to draw attention to the fact that there have already been 13 murders of women in Austria this year alone.

They drew attention to the problem with banners such as "Look against the hitting"

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/Markus Wenzel)

"It's already 5 past 12. We no longer want to accept the high number of femicides and demand that politicians and civil society take active action against them," says Elisa Lummerstorfer from StoP Linz, an initiative for districts without partner violence, which coordinated the flash mob.

Murder in Linz as an occasion
It was the murder of a 90-year-old woman with dementia in Linz, who was killed with a chainsaw in her apartment by her husband (84) at the end of June. The perpetrator then took his own life.

13 women lay motionless on the ground of Martin-Luther-Platz in Linz, commemorating the 13 femicides that have already taken place this year.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

"Older women, especially those in need of care, are considered to be particularly at risk because it is even more difficult to organize help for them," explains social worker Ramona Holzschuh. For senior women in need of care, it is hardly possible to find accommodation in a women's shelter. "The number of femicides among women over 60 has been rising for years. This is worrying and infuriating."

More violence prevention required
The activists' demand: Expansion and longer-term funding for violence prevention projects and victim protection facilities as well as topic-specific training for police, justice, education and healthcare staff.