Austria / Austrian Press Council (Österreichischer Presserat) / 2020/318

Country

Austria

Title

Austria / Austrian Press Council (Österreichischer Presserat) / 2020/318

View full Case

Year

2022

Decision/ruling/judgment date

Friday, November 25, 2022

Incident(s) concerned/related

Discrimination

Related Bias motivation

Migrant status

Groups affected

Muslims

Court/Body type

National Human Rights Body

Court/Body

Austrian Press Council (Österreichischer Presserat)

Key facts of the case

An article published in the daily newspaper "OE24" on 20 September 2022 reported that on Saturday evening migrants had danced to oriental music in the inner city of Vienna. According to the article, the migrants had danced to oriental music and videos had gone viral on TikTok. Police were again not present at the scene and the reason for the gathering was unclear. Attached to the post is a photo of the men dancing, and the accompanying text reads: "Pack meeting in the pedestrian zone" (Rudeltreffen in der Fußgängerzone).

Main reasoning/argumentation

A German teacher contacted the Press Council on behalf of her pupils, who criticised the text accompanying the photo. According to her, the wording "pack meeting" gives the impression that a gathering of migrants is something dangerous and that they behave like animals, even though the article does not mention violence or anything else that is forbidden.

Is the case related to the application of the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia, the Racial Equality Directive?

Key issues (concepts, interpretations) clarified by the case

The Press Council found that the article published by the daily newspaper "OE24" on 20 September 2022, constitutes a minor violation of item 7 of the Code of Honour for the Austrian Press (protection against blanket denigration and discrimination).

Results (sanctions, outcome) and key consequences or implications of the case

The Senate determined the minor violation according to § 20 para. 2 lit. b of the Rules of Procedure of the Senates of the Press Council and therefore issued a notice to the media owner.

Key quotation in original language and its unofficial translation into English with reference details

"Nach Auffassung des Senats ist unter dem Begriff „Rudel“ primär ein Zusammenschluss einer größeren Anzahl von wild lebenden Säugetieren zu verstehen. Die Bezeichnung einer Ansammlung von Migranten als „Rudeltreffen“ stellt somit eine weitere Tiermetapher dar, die in der Berichterstattung unterbleiben sollte und geeignet ist, Migrantinnen und Migranten als Personengruppe pauschal zu verunglimpfen und zu diskriminieren." "In the opinion of the Senate, the term "pack" is primarily to be understood as an association of a larger number of wild mammals. The designation of a gathering of migrants as a "pack meeting" is thus another animal metaphor that should be refrained from in reporting and is suitable for the blanket denigration and discrimination of migrants as a group of people."

DISCLAIMERThe information presented here is collected under contract by the FRA's research network FRANET. The information and views contained do not necessarily reflect the views or the official position of the FRA.