Austrian Residency Ban on German Climate Activist Anja Windl Faces Legal Challenge
Windl, accused of threatening public order, remains in Austria as she appeals the two-year ban, calling it an attempt to criminalize peaceful protest.
- The Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) has issued a two-year residency ban against Anja Windl, citing her as a significant threat to public order and safety.
- Windl, a German national and prominent climate activist in Austria since 2017, has participated in numerous protests and faced over ten arrests for administrative violations.
- The BFA alleges that Windl's actions, including vandalism targeting political parties and her social media activity, demonstrate left-wing extremism and go beyond climate activism.
- Windl and her lawyer have filed an appeal with the Austrian Federal Administrative Court, temporarily suspending her four-week deadline to leave the country.
- Critics of the ban argue it is an unjustified effort to suppress peaceful protest, raising broader concerns about the balance between activism and public order in democratic societies.
Stern 
Die Zeit 
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 
Sächsische Zeitung 
Junge Freiheit 
Augsburger Allgemeine 