Research: The Continuity of Violence – The Peršmanhof Case (EXPANDED)

1. The Historical Foundation: The 1945 Massacre

Date: April 25, 1945.
Perpetrators: SS Police Regiment 13.
Victims: 11 members of the Sadovnik and Kogoj families (including 7 children).
Context: Destruction of the Slovenian resistance shortly before the end of the war. Peršmanhof is today the only museum that comprehensively documents armed resistance against the Nazi regime in Austria.

Actors: Over 30 officers, Quick Intervention Group (SIG), service dogs, helicopters, drones.
Order: Authorized independently by the deputy head of the LSE Carinthia (state security) without a written command.
Pretext: Violations of the Carinthian Nature Conservation and Camping Site Act.
Scandalous Justification by the LSE: The camp represented an "immoral handling of the memorial site." This was perceived by the descendants of the victims (e.g., Bernard Sadovnik) as the height of disrespect and historical arrogance.
Interventions: Unlawful entry into the museum ("house search" without a warrant), identity checks under the pretext of "gross violation of decency."

Green Party Inquiry: Olga Voglauer and Lukas Hammer uncovered the disproportionateness.
Reaction Karner (ÖVP): Appointment of an expert commission, but initially dodging critical questions regarding the District Authority (BH) Völkermarkt.
FPÖ Position: Gernot Darmann described the camp as a "meeting place of the left-wing extremist Antifa" and fully justified the operation – a victim-blamer reversal that devalues the memorial site.

Central voices of discontent at the Presseclub Concordia:

Nikolaj Orasche (Partisan Association): Spoke of "structural anti-Slovenianism" in Carinthian institutions. The operation was an attack on the identity of the ethnic group.
Ertuğrul Bayraktar (Activist): Sharply criticized the lack of an apology from Interior Minister Karner: "A simple apology would have been a start."
Rudolf Vouk (Lawyer): Confirmed the abuse of administrative law for police data collection by the state security.
The Offer: The museum operators invited those responsible for reconciliation in 2026 – under the condition of an honest appraisal.

Carinthian Administrative Court: Confirms the complete unlawfulness of the identity checks.
Conclusion: The state security has abused its powers to criminalize an anti-fascist memorial site.

Motive: The "pincer movement" between bureaucratic arbitrariness (camping act) and historical amnesia.
Contrast: While Wöginger interventions are downplayed as "proximity to citizens," genuine civic engagement at Peršmanhof is fought with helicopters.
Symbolism: The policeman's flashlight shines on the photos of the murdered children – the Hydra looks into the mirror of its own history and does not recognize itself.