Sexual harassment scandal at Austrian opposition party

An administrator of the main opposition Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) in Austria, who was accused of sexually harassing many women, was sentenced to “conviction” by the party administration.

Details of the investigation carried out for the party regarding the incident that occurred in 2019 at the SPÖ’s Alsergrund organization in Vienna were shared with the public.

In the report prepared by the sexual harassment complaints commission, it was indicated that an SPÖ official attempted to sexually harass a female party member in 2019, and in the investigation carried out in this regard, it was determined that at least 3 more women were harassed . by the same person. In the report, it was stated that the person accused of harassment at the time of the incident was first suspended from duty and then fired from it. The commission gave a reprimand to the person who is already a party member.

Labor law expert Katharina Körber-Risak stated that the commission’s decision was insufficient for the protection of the victims and that the normal legal process should be initiated against the person concerned. (AA)