Ernst Kirchweger

Ernst Kirchweger (born 12 January 1898 in Vienna, † April 2, 1965 ibid ) was the first political casualties in Austria after 1945.

Life

He came from a working class family in Vienna and initially trained as a chemist teaching. During the First World War, he was drafted into the Imperial and Royal Navy in 1916 and served on ships in the Adriatic. In February 1918, Kirchweger participated as a sailor in the uprising of Cattaro. Then he took on the part of the Red Guard to the revolutionary struggles in November 1918 in part. 1925 to 1937 he was employed by the City of Vienna.

Kirchweger engaged during Austro-fascism and Nazism with his life in the illegal free trade unions. He was until 1934 a member of the Social Democratic Party and then joined the banned Communist Party at this time. After the liberation of Austria in 1945 fought Kirchweger Ernst, who had survived a concentration camp stay, continue to be an antifascist.

Professional Kirchweger was since 1937 Head of Administration at Compass Publishing House, where he was continuously employed until his retirement in 1963. From 1945 to 1947 he was, together with Section Chief Joseph C. Wirth public administrator of the Compass.

Kirch Weger death

On March 31, 1965, a demonstration of organizations of students, former resistance fighters, and labor unions against the anti-Semitic university professor Taras Borodajkewycz took place, in which Ernst Kirchweger involved. From the ring Freiheitlicher students ( RFS ) is a counter- demonstration was organized. Participants in both demonstrations clashed. Ernst Kirchweger was crushed by the ( until days after the fact be researched ) right-wing extremists and RFS member Günther Kümel and seriously injured. Two days later he succumbed to his injuries. Kümel, which was noticed at several relevant actions since 1958, and also for a prison term had been forced to serve, was arrested on April 3 of this year, accused in the aftermath of homicide - and ultimately sentenced to ten months in prison for self-defense exceeded.

Kirch Weger funeral, with the included and to which 25,000 people took part a silent march and a funeral service at Heldenplatz, was the largest anti-fascist rally since 1945 in Austria. Long time nothing - but changed to the setting of official Austria to former National Socialists despite this gesture - after all, at the funeral of the head of the then Federal Government was present. It was not until the early 1990s acknowledged Vranitzky an Austrian complicity in the Holocaust.

Commemoration

1990, officially owned by the Communist Party located Wieland school in Vienna-Favoriten was occupied by left-wing activists and renamed in his honor in Ernst- Kirchweger house. The house was sold by the Communist Party, since the lack of own financial means and by the low rents in the height of a " symbolic Schillings " had become impossible. Meanwhile, the city of Vienna has purchased the Ernst- Kirchweger - house and completed open- ended rent contracts with the residents.

The 1981 built up in the years 1979 Ernst- Kirchweger -Hof, a council in the Sonnwendgasse 24 in the 10th district of Vienna, is also named after him.

Even in recent years it came to anti-fascist memorial rallies around the death Kirch Weger.