A whirlwind in Bregenz

Climate demo and election campaign finale of the parties

Around 600 climate activists marched through the city center of Bregenz on Friday.(Bild: Fridays for Future)

An email from the Education Directorate to the campaigning parties caused confusion and anger in the run-up to the event. It stated that the "Fridays for Future" event should not involve any instrumentalization of the pupils present. The letter was largely ignored by the responsible parties.

Things were anything but tranquil in Bregenz city center on Friday morning. Two days before the national elections, "Fridays for Future" organized a climate action day together with "Teachers For Future". In the Vorarlberg state capital, around 600 people loudly demanded more efforts to protect the climate. "The recent flood disaster clearly shows the consequences of decades of political neglect. It is now up to us to decide who governs our country and what steps are taken. We decide between a climate catastrophe or a future worth living," said activist Sophia Hagleitner (19).

The Greens Bernie Weber, Nina Tomaselli, Sandra Schoch and David Maurer at the election campaign kick-off at the Kornmarkt in Bregenz.(Bild: Grüne Vorarlberg)

The various parties also campaigned for the "Kreuzerl" on Sunday. The most eye-catching was Nina Tomaselli (Greens), who jumped through the city center with a shark on her head and fried fish sticks in the fight for nature conservation and affordable housing. The ÖVP, led by Markus Wallner, celebrated the harvest festival on Kaiserstraße and had themselves photographed in front of magnificently decorated harvest wagons, while the NEOS were not the only ones busily handing out flyers.

However, those responsible at the Education Directorate caused a great deal of anger when they wanted to prohibit the parties from campaigning during a "school event" (meaning the demonstration). Ridiculous, the parties thought, and disregarded the dictate without further ado.