Disruption at Salzburg Festival: Tightening Measures Coming

Following the disruption on Saturday at the opening of the Salzburg Festival in the Felsenreitschule, the series of events will continue with stricter measures. On Saturday evening, an opera premiere and a performance of "Jedermann" will be equipped with additional security personnel. This was announced by Salzburg's state police director Bernhard Rausch and the commercial director of the Salzburg Festival, Lukas Crepaz, at a press conference.

Activists Interrupted Babler's Speech

With heckling and unfurled banners with slogans like "Stop the Genocide" and "Free Gaza now," six activists interrupted the speech of Vice Chancellor and Minister of Culture Andreas Babler (SPÖ). Despite the massive presence of law enforcement both outside the hall and security around the stage, they managed to get onto the stage and the facade of the Felsenreitschule, where the banners were unfurled.

Having previously relied on security services in the audience - a total of 60 to 70 people per performance - additional security personnel will now be employed, explained Crepaz. Furthermore, in addition to bag checks, all tickets are already issued personalized to the buyer. Additionally, photo IDs will now also be required.

The six activists gained access with "not poorly made" employee IDs, as Rausch emphasized. Currently, there are 6,000 people with these employee cards. "Not every ID can be checked in detail," Crepaz commented. The control is the responsibility of the in-house security service. In light of Saturday's debacle, improvements and evaluation of the measures were promised here as well.

Arrested Face Charges

The six people arrested in the morning are associated with the "Last Generation," as Rausch informed. Of the known disruptors so far, one person holds dual German-French citizenship, one person is an Austrian with a migration background, and there is also an Austrian woman. The other three protest participants are still unknown, as they did not have identification with them. All six were initially in police custody. The arrested face charges due to the unregistered demonstration.

Regarding the attending guests of honor - including the Romanian head of state Nicușor Dan and Austria's Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen - there was "no danger in hindsight," said the Salzburg police director. When climbing the stage, some of the demonstrators were only a few meters away from Vice Chancellor and Culture Minister Babler at the lectern before security personnel intervened.

"Path to the gallery very winding"

Crepaz denied that the security forces reacted too slowly or that the security personnel were unfamiliar with the building. "The path to the gallery is very winding," he said. The staff reacted very quickly and very calmly.

Babler responded to the forced interruption of his speech with an offer for open discourse. "Art as a real debate, festivals as a place for real debates - and that should unite us, to engage in critical debates with each other and at the same time to negotiate justified criticism in an appropriate framework." This year's keynote speaker, historian Anne Applebaum, also responded to the disruptive action. She suffers from the images of starving children in the Gaza Strip: "Israel must comply with international humanitarian law."

Federal President Van der Bellen also addressed the protest action: He is a friend of Israel, which does not mean approving every measure of the Israeli government. "The situation in Gaza is devastating and in no way justifiable on humanitarian grounds. But please do not forget October 2023, the worst pogrom of the post-war period." This is not a justification for what is happening in Gaza, "but please as a reminder."

"Salzburg Festival must not become a place of repression"

"The Salzburg Festival must not become a place of repression," said a statement from the activists. "They must take the much-cited legacy of their founders seriously - and take a stand for an immediate ceasefire and an end to genocide. That is why we are making a statement for Palestine today at the Salzburg Festival ceremony."

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.