Austria's Far-Right Handbook Revised Amid Rising Extremist Crimes

Vienna recorded the highest number of cases (384), followed by Upper Austria (278) and Lower Austria (231). Prosecutors handled 3,460 Nazi prohibition cases in 2024, but 1,958 were dropped during investigations, and 661 were dismissed due to lack of evidence.

Historical Roots and Modern Networks

The handbook traces Austria’s far-right movement to post-World War II efforts to rehabilitate former Nazis. Historian Brigitte Bailer notes that early far-right groups operated "im Zeichen personeller Kontinuität zum NS-Regime" ("under the sign of personal continuity with the Nazi regime"). She highlights the 1949 founding of the *Verband der Unabhängigen* (VdU), a precursor to the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), as a pivotal moment.

Today, extremist networks span neo-Nazi groups, far-right fraternities, and the "Identitäre Bewegung" (Identitarian Movement), which collaborates with the FPÖ to push extremist rhetoric into mainstream discourse. The handbook also examines far-right media, such as the outlet *AUF1*, and violent factions like the "Pedo-Hunters," a vigilante group linked to martial arts circles.

A Tool for Democracy

The handbook’s editors—Andreas Kranebitter, Isolde Vogel, and Bernhard Weidinger—emphasize its role as a resource, not a prescriptive guide. "Wir wollen all jenen ein Instrumentarium in die Hand geben, die die Demokratie verteidigen, Rechtsextremismus widersprechen und entgegentreten wollen" ("We want to provide tools for those who defend democracy and oppose right-wing extremism"), they write.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen praised the DÖW’s work in the handbook’s foreword: "Das Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes war und ist eine dafür unverzichtbare Institution" ("The Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance was and remains an indispensable institution").

The *Handbuch des Rechtsextremismus in Österreich* is available for €39.90 from Falter Verlag.