Graz–Jan. 25, 2025

Lots of graffiti and posters near where I live:

Poster with word BOTTOM at top and TOP at the bottom.

This is an ad for an LBGTQ dance party. Blurred out the QR code on this and the next photo.

White text on black background: Kennst du die Regeln?

Do you know the rules?

The stucco peeled off the brickwork (upper left of this photo).

Painted wall fragments that fell off the wall

And here’s a closeup of the fragments.

Smart City

I took the #6 streetcar out to “Smart City 🇦🇹”, which is in the northwest part of the city. Pretty much a bunch of apartment blocks:

shipping container facade apartment building

The shipping containers are part of the façade; they aren’t the apartments.

Demonstration

On Saturday night, I attended a demonstration against the Akademiker Ball 🇦🇹. Why protest that, you might ask? Apparently it’s put on by the student associations and the Academic Fraternity Allemannia, which are very right wing. About 1,500 people showed up. I didn’t take any pictures there because I wasn’t sure how privacy laws work in Austria, and a protest march makes things more problematic. (Here’s an article from the local paper, and it has photos. 🇦🇹)

We marched from Mariahilferplatz down to near Jakominiplatz and then ended up at Hauptplatz. It took a couple of hours, including the assembly and listening to the introductory speakers. I understood about 80% of it, because all protest speakers say the same sort of stuff and I sort of knew what to expect.

One guy was going around offering ear plugs to anyone who wanted them. I was glad he was there, because I had forgotten mine at home. The organizers also passed out pieces of paper with protest chants. They rhyme in German, not so much in my English translations:

Was bedeutet Schwarz und Blau,
Rassismus und Sozialabbau

What does Black and Blue (ÖVP and FPÖ) mean?
Racism and social welfare cuts

Unser Steuergeld ist weg,
War das wieder Kunasek?

Our tax money is gone,
Was that Kunasek (FPÖ Steiermark politician) again?

1, 2, 3, 4, Rosenkranz, den stürzen wir
5, 6, 7, 8, Keine Buschis an der Macht

1, 2, 3, 4, Rosenkranz, we will overthrow you
5, 6, 7, 8, No frat boys in power

Ehe, Küche, Vaterland -
unsere Antwort Widerstand!

Marriage, Kitchen, Fatherland -
our answer: resistance!

Schießt den Kickl auf dem Mond,
das ist Raumfahrt, die sich lohnt.

Shoot Kickl (FPÖ leader) to the moon;
that space travel is worth it. (This one was my favorite)

Für die Freiheit, für das Leben -
Burschis von der Straße fegen!

For freedom, for life -
sweep the frat boys off the streets