Trace in metadata

Are politicians relying on a straw man for petitions?

Who invented it? Who is the author of the petition?

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Simon Wöhrer, Screenshot)

Every few weeks, petitions from citizens are dealt with in the relevant municipal council committee. They are explicitly not supposed to come from political camps. One such petition in Josefstadt is now causing a stir. 

The municipal council's petitions committee, which deals with citizens' concerns, is meeting again this week. Not yet on the agenda - the petition "Stop traffic congestion in Josefstadt: measures to improve public transport". It currently has around 200 of the 500 signatures required. It has also received broad media support from Green Party district leader Martin Fabisch. But there are dissenting voices.

Who wrote the petition?
The ÖVP suspects a hidden green campaign. "Petitions are important instruments of participation in democracy - misusing them as a PR stunt and writing a petition yourself as a politician and then passing it off as a citizens' petition is to be rejected," it says. Incidentally, the ÖVP suspects Fabisch and deputy leader Jennifer Kickert as the authors.

A look at the metadata
Incidentally, it was officially submitted by Franz Waldner from Josefstadt. District leader Fabisch and Kickert deny any involvement when asked by Krone and express surprise. But how did the ÖVP arrive at this assertion? You have to download the original petition file from the platform to find out. In the properties, however, Kickert and Fabisch are named as the authors...