Election posters in Vienna are increasingly being destroyed
The Vienna ÖVP reports that about half of the approved 1,100 poster stands have been damaged in the past three weeks. The FPÖ reports weekly defacements of between 500 and 600 posters. These incidents raise the question of whether there has been an increase in poster destruction in recent years. The parties are divided on this issue.
Growing Vandalism of Election Posters in Vienna
Julia Partheymüller from the Institute of Political Science at the University of Vienna comments on this in the program "Vienna Today". She notes that the polarization of society and the intensity of conflicts have increased in recent years. These social tensions could manifest in the destruction of posters. Election posters are a staple of every election, but they are increasingly becoming the focus of vandals.
Parties Regularly Report Vandalism
Vandalism of election posters is regularly reported by the affected parties. Individuals who damage a poster face up to six months in prison or a fine for property damage. Partheymüller emphasizes that this vandalism harms democracy, even if the influence of election posters on voter decisions is considered limited.
She notes: "Few voters choose a party just because of the poster, but of course, there are costs for the parties due to replacing the posters." The parties try to replace damaged posters promptly and increase print runs for this purpose. Some parties even go a step further and appeal to citizens with their own printed stickers not to damage the posters.
(APA/Red)
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