Innsbruck prosecutors examine complaint over Walch’s school list

Innsbruck prosecutors are examining whether there are grounds for an initial suspicion of incitement against FPÖ politician Fabian Walch over his publication of a school class’s name list, ORF reported. The complaint was filed by the initiative Stoppt die Rechten.

Walch, an FPÖ member of Innsbruck’s municipal council, posted a list of 25 first names of pupils at an Innsbruck compulsory school. Some names suggested a migration background. Alongside the list, he warned that Innsbruck’s residents could become “a minority in our own city” and called for the start of “remigration”.

Walch later changed the post’s caption and said he had not called for children to be expelled. He said “remigration” meant the return to their home countries of people who were in the country illegally or had committed crimes. He did not explain why the pupils had been named publicly.

Stoppt die Rechten filed a complaint alleging incitement. It argued that the post identified the children as belonging to a group perceived as foreign, contrasted that group with “us” and called for remigration. The initiative said the post could amount to incitement against a group defined by nationality, descent, national or ethnic origin, or religion under Section 283 of Austria’s Criminal Code.

Innsbruck prosecutors’ spokesman Hansjörg Mayr confirmed that a complaint had been filed. He said the office was assessing whether there was an initial suspicion, meaning no investigation had yet been launched. Walch is presumed innocent.

Instagram has removed the post, citing a legal order to restrict the content. The platform said it reviewed the request under legal and human rights standards and restricted the content in regions where it violated local law. ORF reported that the Facebook post remained online.

Walch faced criticism from Green and Social Democratic politicians in Tyrol and at national level, and SPÖ MP Bernhard Höfler called for him to resign.