Antifascist Education Camp Will Not Take Place at Peršmanhof in 2026

On July 27, 2025, forces from the district authority and the police searched the farmstead for over four hours and carried out identity checks. According to the Interior Ministry, officers from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, members of the Rapid Intervention Group (SIG), a dog handler, and a police helicopter were involved in the operation. "Bei den Identitätsfeststellungen war es zu Handgreiflichkeiten gekommen", the Interior Ministry said. The reason was "der Verdacht von Verwaltungsübertretungen durch falsch aufgestellte Zelte".

Course and Participants of the Operation

The reaction to the major operation followed swiftly: even at the time, Carinthian State Police Director Michaela Kohlweiß announced that there would be "dienst- und disziplinarrechtliche Ermittlungen". A commission of the Interior Ministry subsequently qualified the contested administrative violations as a pretext. "Eine Kommission des Innenministeriums qualifizierte dies als Vorwand für ein Einschreiten zu Zwecken des Verfassungsschutzes", the Ministry clarified.

At its core is the allegation that the operation was not fully covered by law. The Interior Ministry classified the action as partly unlawful. The head of the operation is under investigation on suspicion of abuse of office. "Dienstrechtliche Verfahren werden erst nach der strafrechtlichen Klärung geführt", a Ministry spokesperson explained.

Investigations Against Organizers and Officers

In parallel, the public prosecutor's office in Graz is investigating. As a authority spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday in response to an APA inquiry, the criminal investigations of the Graz public prosecutor's office against participants of the camp as well as the officers involved are not yet completed. This means the criminal questions surrounding the operation remain open, while disciplinary steps are to follow only after a possible conclusion of the investigations.

The relocation of the camp is also a political signal. The operation had caused "for massive criticism – also from the neighboring Slovenia". The fact that the organizers are avoiding the site of remembrance this year points to the still strained relationship between the Slovenian ethnic community, the memorial sites, and the Austrian security authorities. The Peršmanhof has stood for decades for the commemoration of the resistance against National Socialism in Carinthia and is a central point of reference for the organization.

Political Reactions from Home and Abroad

The organizers emphasize that the educational program itself will take place unchanged. "Die Veranstaltung, die der Klub der slowenischen Studierenden in Wien organisiert", will be carried out as planned in terms of content, with only the venue changing, it was said from the organizers' surroundings. The Peršmanhof association announced that it intends to continue its educational work at the Peršmanhof at an appropriate time.

It remains open how the investigations of the Graz public prosecutor's office will turn out. Should the suspicion of abuse of office against the operation leader be substantiated, the consequences are likely to extend beyond disciplinary measures. Until then, this year's change of location remains the most visible sign of the consequences of the controversial police operation of July 2025.