Trial for Former 'Aula' Editor on National Socialist Re-Engagement Set for September

In a significant development, the trial concerning the former editor of the far-right magazine 'Aula' is scheduled to commence in September 2025. This information was provided by the head of the media department at the Graz Regional Court for Criminal Matters. The legal proceedings follow an investigation that began over five years ago, initiated by the organization SOS Mitmensch, which lodged a complaint regarding potential violations of laws against national socialist re-engagement based on the content of the FPÖ-affiliated publication.

According to SOS Mitmensch, the case is of considerable importance due to the defendant's previous role as a district politician for the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) in Graz. The organization has highlighted that numerous high-ranking members of the FPÖ not only supported the magazine but also engaged in activities that aligned with its antisemitic and extremist ideologies.

A spokesperson for SOS Mitmensch, Alexander Pollak, noted that the FPÖ's educational institute, under the leadership of Herbert Kickl, had placed paid advertisements in the 'Aula' even after it published inflammatory statements referring to Holocaust survivors as 'mass murderers' and 'a plague on the land'. He further pointed out that other prominent FPÖ politicians, including Upper Austria's Vice-Governor Manfred Haimbuchner and EU representative Harald Vilimsky, also financially supported the magazine through advertisements.

Historical connections to the publication are further complicated by the involvement of National Council President Walter Rosenkranz, who had previously written for 'Aula', and Norbert Hofer, the current FPÖ Burgenland leader, who posed for promotional photos for the magazine during his presidential campaign. Udo Landbauer, Vice-Governor of Lower Austria, has been noted for promoting a songbook featuring National Socialist songs in the magazine. Additionally, Mario Kunasek, the current Styrian governor, and Hannes Amesbauer, a recently appointed Styrian councilor, have appeared in 'Aula' despite its clear antisemitic and extremist stance.

In December 2018, SOS Mitmensch submitted a detailed dossier to the authorities, totaling 300 pages, documenting the activities of 'Aula'. This report meticulously outlined the ways in which the magazine provided a platform for neo-Nazis, harbored Holocaust deniers, and propagated antisemitic and supremacist ideologies. Notably, the magazine warned against what it referred to as the 'Judaisation of the world' and 'racial mixing', while praising former Nazi fighters who remained active in far-right and neo-Nazi circles after 1945, all the while disparaging Holocaust survivors.

'Aula' ceased publication in June 2018, and a subsequent attempt to revive the magazine in 2019--backed by FPÖ politicians--failed due to public outcry.