Ernst Kirchweger (January 12, 1898 – April 2, 1965 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

) was the first person to die as a result of political conflict in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

's Second Republic. From 1916 to 1918, Ernst Kirchweger participated in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as a

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

in the

Austro-Hungarian Navy The Austro-Hungarian Navy or Imperial and Royal War Navy (german: kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine, in short ''k.u.k. Kriegsmarine'', hu, Császári és Királyi Haditengerészet) was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Ships of the A ...

. Afterwards, he fought on the side of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

. Until 1934, he was a member of the

Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...

, but then he joined the Communists, which was outlawed at that time. During the reigns of the Fatherland Front and

National Socialist German Workers Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

, he risked his life as an activist in illegal

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

s. After Austria's liberation in 1945, having survived concentration camp, he continued to speak out against

Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

and

National Socialism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

. On March 31, 1965, a demonstration of students, former resistance fighters and unions against

Taras Borodajkewycz Taras (von) Borodajkewycz ( uk, Тарас Бородайкевич; 1 October 1902 in Baden bei Wien, Lower Austria – 3 January 1984 in Vienna) was a former member of the Nazi Party and, after World War II, professor of economic history at t ...

, a

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

accused of having made

anti-Semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

statements, took place in Vienna, while the student organisation of the Freedom Party of Austria organized a

riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

. There were skirmishes between the participants of the two demonstrations; during one in which Kichweger was attacked by

Günther Kümel Günther, Guenther, Ginther, Gunther, and the variants Günter, Guenter, Guenther, Ginter, and Gunter, are Germanic names derived from ''Gunthere, Gunthari'', composed of '' *gunþiz'' "battle" (Old Norse ''gunnr'') and ''heri, hari'' "army". Gund ...

and severely injured. He died three days later, aged 67, as a result of his injuries. Kümel was sentenced to ten months in

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

. 25,000 people attended Kirchweger's funeral. He was cremated at

Feuerhalle Simmering Feuerhalle Simmering is a crematorium with attached urn burial ground in the Simmering (Vienna), Simmering district of Vienna, Austria. It lies at the end of an alley, directly opposite Vienna Central Cemetery's main gate. Description Opened on ...

; his ashes are now buried in

Hietzing Cemetery The Hietzing Cemetery is a cemetery in Hietzing, the 13th district of Vienna. Notable burials (selection) * Alban Berg (1885–1935), composer * Jean-Baptiste Clery (1759–1809), valet to King Louis XVI * Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf (1852 ...

in Vienna. In 1990, the ''Wielandschule'' in Vienna-

Favoriten Favoriten (; Central Bavarian: ''Favoritn''), the 10th district of Vienna, Austria (german: 10. Bezirk, Favoriten), is located south of the central districts. It is south of Innere Stadt, Wieden and Margareten. Favoriten is a heavily populat ...

, a building owned by the Communist Party, was seized by left-wing activists and named

Ernst-Kirchweger-Haus The Ernst-Kirchweger-Haus (EKH) is a autonomous social centre, self-managed social centre in Vienna's 10th district, Favoriten. It was squatted in 1990 and legalised in 2008. The project is named after Ernst Kirchweger. Occupation The building ...

. The building has been sold by the Communist Party since.

Secondary sources

* Kropiunigg, Rafael
'The Rehabilitated Austrians and the Borodajkewycz Affair', ''Austrian History Yearbook'' 46 (2015), 360-385.
* Kropiunigg, Rafael
''Eine österreichische Affäre: Der Fall Borodajkewycz'' (Vienna, 2015).

External links

* Web encyclopedia of the Viennese

Social-democracy Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soc ...

''Kirchweger, Ernst 12.1.1898 - 2.4.1965, Wien''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirchweger, Ernst 1898 births Austrian communists 1965 deaths