Court upholds 100-euro fine over church tower banner

The State Administrative Court has upheld a 100-euro fine imposed on a climate activist who helped hang a protest banner from the tower of St Martin’s Church in Dornbirn, ORF reported.

The woman, a member of the climate group Extinction Rebellion, put up the political banner with four other people in December. The action was not registered as an assembly at least 48 hours in advance, as required by the Dornbirn district authority.

The banner read “Wallner’s budget sheet” and listed projects including S18 and Tunnelspinne. The word “maternity ward” was crossed out. Extinction Rebellion said the peaceful protest was intended to draw attention to planned cuts in the social sector.

The activist argued in court that she had not been the organiser, issued invitations or taken steps to mobilise participants through posters, social media or personal appeals. She also said the action was an art project rather than a demonstration.

The court rejected both arguments. It found that she had organised the banner, invited participants and given instructions, making her the organiser. The court said the overall action was aimed at communicating a political message in public. Its possible interpretation as an artistic intervention did not exclude its character as an assembly, it ruled. The small number of participants also did not prevent it from being classified as an assembly.