Who has what color?

Racism: black and white brawl ends in court

A quick refreshment in the cafeteria at the Eisenstadt provincial court, and then the neighbors will tell him that they have never seen each other before. "We've only been friends since this happened."

(Bild: HS, Krone KREATIV)

Curious trial at the Eisenstadt regional court! A native Ghanaian (20) was threatened by two people from southern Burgenland. One of them punched him. The victim played his part in the escalation. He had insulted the men in the worst possible way. 

Two men with a lot of free time, who have lived just five meters away from each other for 30 years, meet for the first time on 8 April 2024. In a pub. There are four guests in total. "I didn't know him," says the 54-year-old disability pensioner (henceforth referred to as 1). "I'd never seen him before," confirms the 53-year-old emergency assistance recipient (2).

"I'm just offended in return"
And then the two of them are standing at Budel that evening. "We didn't talk to each other." The door opens and two boys sit down. One of them obviously has African roots. "The landlord wasn't there at the time, we waited," says the 20-year-old at the Eisenstadt Regional Court. "And then the insults started. I just insulted him back."

However, the apprentice's verbal tirades were quite something, as his own cell phone video proves. If we were to swap the colors black and white now, the Ghanaian-born man would probably have to stand trial for racial slurs!

A kick on the tumor
In any case, 1 states that he wanted to take his cell phone away from him. "Then he kicked me. Several times. On my arms. Also on my chest, where I have a tumor." 2 didn't see anything, he claims to have been in the toilet. But you can hear: "I'll stab you!" The strangers cover up at the police station.

What anything can be
'In the course of the trial, it emerges that 1, the "victim", hit him with his fists because he didn't want to be filmed. "Yes, it is possible that he was injured during the scuffle."

Leave the convertible at home
Both defendants, who have no criminal record, get off with the lightest possible sentence: two years' probation. The fact that 1, the invalidity pensioner, gets a "symbolic compensation" of 150 euros is less appealing to him. He asks for payment in installments. As a policeman knows, his convertible with the golden rims has to stay in the garage for a few days a month.