Austrian Immigration Authority Bans Climate Activist Anja Windl for Two Years
The Austrian Federal Office for Migration and Asylum (BFA) has banned climate activist Anja Windl from entering the country for two years, citing a “substantial danger to public order and security”.
The decision is based on a 40-page ruling, a copy of which has been obtained by the German Press Agency (dpa).
Windl, who has lived in Klagenfurt since 2017, was a key figure in the now-dissolved Austrian climate movement “Letzte Generation”. She gained notoriety through numerous protest actions, including street blockades and demonstrations.
The BFA highlights a January action against the ÖVP party headquarters, in which Windl wrote “You stink of brown st” on the facade. The authority describes her as having a “massively quarrelsome inclination” that goes beyond classical climate activism.
Windl announced she will appeal the ban at the Federal Administrative Court, saying, “I won’t be intimidated”. Her lawyer, Ralf Niederhammer, pointed out that Windl has not been criminally convicted, but investigations are ongoing due to suspected membership in a criminal organization and serious property damage.
The ban was issued more than two years after the start of the administrative proceedings against Windl. According to her lawyer, the decision is based more on her public role and media presence than on concrete dangers.
The authority accuses Windl of recruiting new members for “Letzte Generation” and taking a leading role in public relations.
The decision includes a four-week deadline for Windl to leave Austria, which her lawyer has announced will be temporarily suspended by the appeal.