Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Austria is the defendant in a case that will reach the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in 2025. In 2021, members of the BDS movement in Austria posted a picture on Twitter, juxtaposing a “Visit Apartheid” poster with the logo of the Municipality of Vienna. A few months later, the municipality pressed charges against one of the activists for defamation.
In 2022, during the trial, the legal defence for the activist advocated for the BDS movement’s right to freedom of expression. Nevertheless, the judge in Vienna ruled that BDS was not to use the logo of the municipality anymore and issued a €3,500 fine. After the defendant’s appeal was rejected,a duty to pay a further €8,200 in legal fees was added.
In 2025, after a further appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court of Austria, the European Legal Support Center decided to bring the case in front of the ECtHR. While the goal is to uphold the Palestinian solidarity movement’s right to freedom of expression, the CASE coalition has already recognised the Municipality of Vienna’s response to BDS Austria’s activism as a SLAPP aimed at intimidating civil society and activists.
