Shortly before Christmas, the Viennese SPÖ has to deal publicly with a case of sexual harassment in its own ranks: As has now become known, a member of the district party at Alsergrund is said to have sexually harassed several party colleagues.
According to the Vienna SPÖ, the cases were regarding three years ago. A party-internal arbitration tribunal met for a year on the cause. The verdict is likely to cause displeasure on both sides – among perpetrators and victims.
The man, who was temporarily banned from working and whose party membership was suspended, got away with a reprimand. According to the state party, the allegations once morest the man were “not serious enough” to cause him to be expelled from the party.
Details of the cases do not want to be given in the interests of victim protection. But: It is a “complex case”, it took some time until “the fog cleared”, says state party secretary Barbara Novak to the KURIER. Convening a separate court of arbitration – in which “experienced lawyers” sit – was “a big, but in this case important and right step”. Many witnesses were interviewed and evidence was viewed.
According to ZIB2, the man behaved offensively at a barbecue party, among other things.
Resigned from the SPÖ
The fact that the cause three months ago only ended with a reprimand should have angered one of the victims. Even more so because the ban on functions ended with the end of the internal party proceedings. The woman recently left the party “also because of other conflicts”. In the course of this, the case should now have come to the public.
Novak is contrite: The Viennese SPÖ are doing their utmost to prevent such cases. “But #metoo does not ignore social democracy either. Our movement is also a mirror of society.”
According to the Vienna SPÖ, the allegations once morest the perpetrator were also reported to the police three years ago. However, there were never any criminal proceedings. All cases were dropped by the judiciary at the time.
