Austria wants to expel a German climate activist from the last generation. The 26-year-old Anja Windl is threatened with a residence ban, reports Austrian media, citing the APA press agency. On Thursday, the activist was questioned for several hours by the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA). She told the “standard” that the authority wanted to discuss her risk potential.
According to their own statements, there are already several administrative penalties against the 26-year-old. Windl was shocked by the threatened deportation. “This is absolute madness. None of the administrative penalties against me have been finalized so far,” she said.
Windl studies in Klagenfurt, but originally comes from Germany. In Austria she is one of the well-known faces of the climate movement Last Generation. She had caused a stir in the past few weeks with numerous protests in the Alpine republic. Among other things, the activists organized glue-fit actions and spilled oil. The authorities therefore want to expel Windl, who was also involved in some actions, the activist announced on Instagram on Wednesday.
The Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior reacted cautiously to a request from the star. For data protection reasons, no information can be given about individual cases. “But we can assure you that there will be a very precise examination of the facts in each individual case,” says the written answer. The ministry pointed out that the BFA was allowed to expel EU citizens. Among other things, if no health insurance has been taken out or maintenance can be proven.
However, Windl does not expect that she will be deported to Germany because of this. “I have the center of my life here, I don’t get any money from the state and I have a fixed income,” she told the “Standard”. An expulsion and a residence ban can also be imposed if a person endangers public safety.
Before being questioned by the immigration and asylum authorities, Windl said that an action involving spilled vegetable oil could be interpreted as a hazard. However, she claimed that she spilled the oil in the presence of security forces. In addition, several activists were stuck at the time and blocked the road. The danger to road traffic was thus averted.
Windl was questioned in detail by the BFA about the reasons for her stay in Austria. In addition, she had been presented with a file containing allegations. They are being investigated because of a prevented action by the last generation at the New Year’s concert in Vienna. Windl is surprised that the procedure for this has not yet ended. The activist and her comrades-in-arms wanted to draw attention to climate change with a disruptive action on New Year’s Day. However, the six people were recognized and stopped in the hall by officials from the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Directorate for State Protection and Intelligence.
When questioned, the officials argued that the action could have triggered mass panic, according to Windl. She sees the subpoena as an “attempt at intimidation” and believes “it’s an attempt to make an example of a person who is relatively media president,” she told the “Standard”.
The last generation in Germany was indignant when asked by Stern. “Even if it should be lawful to expel Anja, it shows once again how disproportionately European governments react to legitimate protests,” said spokesman Michael Pfundstein. Protests that point to the failure to protect the livelihood of the population are answered with repression “instead of sensible climate protection”. However, history has shown that attempts to contain such protests have the opposite effect. This will only make the protest movement more determined.
Neither Windl nor her lawyer expect to be deported. He described the actions of the authorities as “state repression”. “She resides in Austria and does nothing other than exercise her democratic right to protest and freedom of assembly,” said the lawyer. Should it still come to that, the activist announced that she would raise an objection.
Sources: ORF, “Der Standard”
