Carinthian Governor Insists on Ban of Gatherings in Bleiburg

(Patria) - The Governor of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia, Peter Kaiser, insists on the continued ban of the annual gathering at Bleiburg Field.

"We do not need far-right revisionists of history who are trying to interpret and rehabilitate dark chapters of history in a different way," Kaiser stated.

Kaiser was reacting to a statement by the Honorary Guard of Bleiburg, which announced it had filed an appeal against the ban of the gathering with the Austrian Constitutional Court.

In his statement, he explained why he insists on the ban of the gathering at Bleiburg Field.

"Austria, and especially Carinthia, has rightly gotten rid of this gathering, known as the largest far-right gathering in Europe, after years of social and political engagement, including at my initiative. It was an important and correct step," Kaiser believes.

He further explained that the Ustaše, like Nazism, were a regime marked by "hatred, persecution, terror, and murder".

"Any attempt to relativize or even glorify this ideology is not only a slap in the face to the victims, but also a dangerous attack on our fundamental democratic values," Kaiser added.

Kaiser's opinion is shared by the Team Carinthia association, as well as the Green Party in this federal state.

- What has been happening year after year at and around the so-called commemoration at Loibach Field is a direct blow to the Austrian State Treaty and openly opposes the fundamental values of our republic - said the spokesperson for the Greens in Carinthia, Olga Voglauer.

According to its own statements, the Honorary Guard of Bleiburg has filed an appeal with the Austrian Constitutional Court against the ban of the gathering.

The Internal Affairs Committee of the Austrian Parliament banned the annual gathering in Bleiburg in 2022, based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Interior's commission.