Expert Opinion: Austria Fulfills Anti-Fascist Mandate from the State Treaty Only in Part

The central finding: Austria's constitution is not ideologically neutral, but rather grants the state a comprehensive anti-fascist mandate. MKÖ chairman Willi Mernyi formulated this with the words: "Unsere Verfassung ist weltanschaulich nicht neutral, sondern gibt dem Staat einen umfassenden antifaschistischen Auftrag." However, "dieser Auftrag leider nur zu einem geringen Teil erfüllt, ist also großteils offen."

Article 9 as the Legal Basis

The concrete legal basis is Article 9 of the State Treaty, which obliges Austria to dissolve all National Socialist organizations and to remove all traces of National Socialism from public life. Article 9, paragraph 2 also covers the dissolution of "Organisationen faschistischen Charakters" which "irgendeiner der Vereinten Nationen feindliche Tätigkeit entfalten oder welche die Bevölkerung ihrer demokratischen Rechte zu berauben bestrebt sind". The UN goals to which the treaty refers include the belief in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, as well as the equal rights of men and women and of large and small nations.

In the opinion, Mayer refers to the concept of "militant democracy" (wehrhafte Demokratie). This goes back to the Austrian philosopher Karl Popper, who wrote his work "The Open Society and Its Enemies" under the impression of the Nazi dictatorship. "Eine Demokratie müsse tolerant sein, doch es kann keine Toleranz gegenüber Intoleranten geben," writes Mayer, citing Popper. It is also crucial for the existence of a democracy that "wirksame institutionelle Sicherungen gegen die Tyrannei" exist. The concept of militant democracy is also an important pillar of the United Nations.

Militant Democracy According to Karl Popper

In substance, the opinion notes that "ausdrückliche Regelungen über die Auflösung faschistischer Organisationen nach wie vor fehlen". According to Article 10 of the State Treaty, such provisions would have had to be enacted, yet: "Ausdrückliche gesetzliche Regelungen, um das Faschismus-Verbot auch umzusetzen, hätten laut Staatsvertrag Artikel 10 erlassen werden müssen, schreibt Mayer. Doch: Diese Regelungen fehlten bis heute." There is "kein System weltanschaulicher Neutralität," Mayer emphasizes.

While fascism is an authoritarian form of rule, "aber nicht jede autoritäre Herrschaftsform ist faschistisch," Mayer narrows the term. Another characteristic of fascist forms of rule is the propagation of the so-called "Volksgemeinschaft," which draws a boundary between supporters of this "Volksgemeinschaft" and all outsiders. Concepts such as the so-called "Remigration," i.e., the deportation of a large part of the population, also violate the anti-fascist obligations in the State Treaty.

DÖW director Andreas Kranebitter considers the opinion relevant for "sehr konkrete Praxisfragen". As an example, he cites "das Thema der parlamentarischen Mitarbeiter, die von den rechtsextremen Identitären kommen". "Eine wehrhafte Demokratie muss gesetzliche Grundlagen schaffen, die sicherstellen, dass sie nicht von Demokratiefeinden unterwandert wird." Around 15 years ago, a right-wing extremist organization also emerged in Austria with groups like the Identitären, which outwardly clearly distanced itself from National Socialism and its symbols.

Practical Examples and Statistics

Political scientist Anton Pelinka, who passed away last year, emphasized: "Es ist eine Selbstverständlichkeit, wenn man in einem demokratischen Rechtsstaat lebt, dass man antifaschistisch ist – was denn sonst?" However, discussion on this topic takes place "bedauerlicherweise kaum statt," Mayer regrets.

To illustrate the discrepancy between aspiration and reality, the organizations also cite concrete figures: Last year, there were almost 2,000 right-wing extremist offenses in Austria. These are countered by only 197 convictions under the Prohibition Act. The NS-Prohibition Act implements the obligation to remove Nazi traces. "Besonders wichtig ist, dass das Verbotsgesetz viel wirksamer wird," says Robert Eiter, spokesperson of the Upper Austrian Anti-Fascist Network.

Eiter also points to political momentum: "Derzeit wird unsere jahrelange Forderung nach einem Nationalen Aktionsplan gegen Rechtsextremismus umgesetzt." The State Treaty itself is both constitutional law and binding international law. The experts see in it a clear mandate for action to the Republic. (Colette M. Schmidt, 1.7.2026)