A Viennese court has ordered the newspaper Der Standard to pay a total of €20,250 in damages to FPÖ politicians Harald Stefan, Martin Graf, and club director Norbert Nemeth. The background to the case is a report on a funeral at which a controversial song was sung. The verdict is not yet final.
Dispute over reporting on controversial song
The FPÖ politicians had sued the medium after it reported that a song known as the “SS Loyal Hymn” was sung at the funeral of a Burschenschaft member. According to the Standard, the politicians did not react, despite the song’s association with the Nazi era. The plaintiffs, however, argued that the song is a folk and student song from the 19th century with no connection to the National Socialists. Judge Daniel Potmesil found the reporting to be indeed damaging to the politicians’ reputation, as the presented evidence did not establish a clear connection to the SS version of the song.
FPÖ General Secretary Christian Hafenecker saw the verdict as a clear defeat for the Standard and described the paper as “judicially crushed by its own Nazi roots.” At the same time, he criticized the reporting as “pietiless and character assassinating” as hidden camera footage was used. The FPÖ also pointed out that the funeral was a private event, and the politicians bore no responsibility for the song’s lyrics.
The Standard’s lawyer, Michael Pilz, announced an appeal against the verdict. According to him, the newspaper had correctly reported the events and presented the suspicious circumstances. The court had failed to take into account the context of the song, which was indeed adapted by the SS. The case thus throws a spotlight on the fine line between journalistic freedom and personal reputation protection. A final verdict remains to be seen.