Vienna (PK) – The historical and current contribution of the Third Field to the democratic design of the political system in Austria was the thematic focus of yesterday’s Dinghofer Symposium 2023. Host and president of the Third National Council, Norbert Hofer, opened the symposium at Palais Epstein with a speech to strengthen and reflect on the “basic values of free democracy” – even under changing political conditions. In his welcoming remarks, Martin Graf, Member of the National Council and President of the Dinghofer Institute, referred to the achievements of liberal politicians in the fight for these values. The author Eike Dohr then presented his book “Tolerance Requested! – The Consent of the Great German People’s Party to the Federal Constitutional Law of 1920”.
Finally, the Franz Dinghofer Medals were awarded, in which Michael Geistlinger, associate professor of international law at the University of Salzburg, received the Medal of Science and the off-duty Defense Minister Helmut Krünes received the Democracy Prize. The publishing house “1848 Medienwandel Verlags GmbH” received the media award for the “Unzensuriert” portal. The evening was hosted by National Council member and president of the Dinghofer Institute, Gerhard Kaniak.
Hofer on the importance of shared values for a functional society
In his opening words, the president of the Third National Council, Norbert Hofer, recalled the “champions of the basic values of free democracy”, such as Robert Blum, who was executed during the 1848 revolution, and also placed the “cry” of the First Republic , Fritz Dinghofer, in this series. The values of freedom, justice and democracy personified by these personalities today represent the pillars of our society. However, critical developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, but also the conflict in the Middle East would increasingly shake these pillars, as Hofer explained.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israel, we have witnessed an “unmasking” of Muslims who use the armed conflicts in Israel and Gaza to “demonstrate power” in the form of marches in European cities. Hofer drew parallels between the current situation and the dystopian novel “Submission”, by Michel Houellebecq, in which a Muslim-oriented party gains power in France and imposes its values on local society. As in the novel, in reality European values protected precisely those “who want to subjugate us”. According to Hofer, to survive and develop as a society in a changing political landscape, three components are necessary: reflection on one’s values, well-educated and trained people, and hard work.
Eike Dohr on the contribution of the third camp to Austria’s democratic constitution
Eike Dohr also placed the third camp’s contribution to Austria’s democratic constitution from a constitutional history perspective at the center of his book and commentaries. According to him, these achievements – contrary to historical reality – represented only a “side note” in most publications. The Great German People’s Party (GdP), as the parliamentary representation of the third camp at the time, was instrumental in the creation and promulgation of the Federal Constitutional Law (B-VG) on October 1, 1920.
Dohr drew a parallel between the consolidation process of the Republic and that of the PIB, which was created from “pieces of different ideologies” as a political force alongside the Christian Socialists and Social Democrats. This process is also reflected in the GDP constitution project of spring 2020, which was taken into consideration in the B-VG, as Hans Kelsen himself emphasized, according to Dohr. The “idea of joining Germany” represented by the Great Germans, which they would like to see anchored in the B-VG in the form of a preamble, was not taken into account. The title phrase of Dohr’s book “Tolerance is Requested!” It should therefore be understood as an apology from the PIB to its own electorate.
Awards ceremony for extraordinary services to science, democracy and the media
The eulogy for Michael Geistlinger was given by Johannes Rainer, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Economics at the University of Salzburg. In it he discussed Geistlinger’s extraordinary commitment to Eastern Europe, where he founded numerous partnerships between the University of Salzburg and highly renowned universities in Russia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. As knowledgeable about Russian law, culture and way of life, Geistlinger worked as a lawyer “like no other” in resolving disputes in, among other places, Ossetia, Abkhazia and Moldova, as Rainer reported. This also resulted in numerous publications on Eastern European legal issues. As a “man of liberty” and “critical spirit,” Geistlinger is a worthy successor to the pioneers of 1848, Rainer said. In his acceptance speech, Geistlinger made it clear that he did not want the award to be seen as a “swan song”, but rather as an invitation to continue pursuing his work.
In his speech given in honor of the winner of the Democracy Prize, Helmut Krünes, former State Secretary Holger Bauer emphasized his achievements in both the economic and political areas. Despite the “false party registration” – that of the FPÖ – Krünes made a contribution to the country’s prosperity that should not be underestimated, for example in the Industrial Association or the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. Krünes began his political career as president of the Freedom Students’ Ring, where he proved himself a “homo politicus” as a young man, Bauer said. He continued this career as first General Secretary of the FPÖ and finally as Federal Minister for National Defense. Krünes himself recounted his career as a chemist and industrial manager and called on his and all other parties to “jump out of their shadows” and seek non-partisan dialogue to be able to face the challenges of the 21st century.
Christian Hafenecker, spokesman for the FPÖ, gave the praise speech to the publishing house “1848 Medienwandel Verlags GmbH”, which received the media award from the Dinghofer Syposium for its portal “Unzensuriert”. As a precursor to all alternative media, “Uncensored” turned the media landscape upside down, “put fear into traditional media outlets” and was more successful in terms of access numbers than many of the established news portals. According to Hafenecker, critically examining dominant narratives and encouraging readers to look at things from different perspectives are what make the medium successful. Co-organizer Walter Asperl accepted the award on behalf of the entire team behind “Unzensuriert”. He reported the first steps of the project in Martin Graf’s office until the moment of the refugee crisis in 2015, when the portal served as the basis for a “strong counter-public”. Asperl borrowed the “No Censorship” self-image from the motto of the liberal opposition magazine “Deutsche Tribüne” of the pre-March period: “Democratic, critical, controversial and, of course, partisan”. (End) wit
NOTE: Photos of this symposium can be found on the Parliament portal.