Kennelbach shooting event organisers reject sexism claims

Organisers of a police training event in Kennelbach have rejected accusations of sexism after images showed a lightly dressed mannequin bearing the face of former Social Democratic Party leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner. The event took place three years ago. ORF reported the organisers’ response on Thursday.

The Interest Group Kennelbach Shooting Cellar for Law Enforcement Officers said no shots were fired at mannequins bearing the faces of Rendi-Wagner and former Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache. The figures were not designed to be shot and were used only as part of the setting, the group said. It added that there had been no intention to insult either politician.

The group also disputed the sexism allegation, saying the scene showed a woman sitting on a man’s lap and that both figures were clothed. Images also showed a sex toy, which the group’s chairman, Karl-Heinz Rösler, described as a massage device. He said it was not part of the planned setup and had been placed in the mannequin’s hand by one of about 150 people working during the three-day event. The organisers accepted responsibility for not removing it after noticing it.

Rösler said the scene was devised during preparations after the wallpaper used for the backdrop was noted to resemble buildings associated with the Ibiza affair involving the Freedom Party. The group said the two politicians were then incorporated into a scene under the theme “Ibiza as it really was.”

The event was held in the basement of the Schindlersaal hall. Rösler said its exercises were designed to make officers assess realistic situations quickly and decide whether to shoot. The competition included 10 scenarios, most requiring a shoot-or-do-not-shoot decision. In the disputed scene, he said, an armed figure and an unarmed figure appeared in the background, and only one was meant to be targeted.

The group said it had supported police operational training for 50 years. The event was discontinued by a decision in 2024, which Rösler attributed mainly to rising staffing and material costs. He also said that regional councillor Christian Gantner and then police director Hans-Peter Ludescher had agreed to be patrons but did not attend the three-day event or know how it was run.