Activist dismantled Kickl climbing route on Hochschwab – 120 hours of community service
A 26-year-old German sabotaged a route on Hochschwab in March 2025 that FPÖ leader Kickl had helped to first ascend. Bruck District Court sentenced him to 120 hours of community work.
120 hours of community service following sabotage of Kickl climbing route on Hochschwab
A 26-year-old German citizen must complete 120 hours of community work within several months – this is the verdict of Bruck District Court following sabotage of the climbing route "Geheimer Schwob" on Hochschwab. According to Kleine Zeitung, the defendant admitted to the offence and cooperated with authorities.
The route was created in 2019 by a well-known mountain guide and was first ascended, among others, jointly with FPÖ chairman Herbert Kickl. In March 2025, the student dismantled 37 of 39 bolt hangers along with their fittings – in part using an angle grinder. According to the state prosecutor, the resulting property damage amounts to €262.
The action triggered fierce political debate. Left-wing activists commented on the sabotage with the statement "chase fascists out of the mountains". From the right-wing camp, the incident was condemned as "left-wing extremist activism" and the endangerment of other climbers was condemned.
On Thursday, judge Michael Auracher – himself a long-time mountain rescue member and familiar with the Hochschwab region – heard the case under considerable public interest. In addition to media representatives, a number of mountaineers sat in the courtroom. Kickl himself was not involved in proceedings and did not testify; the creator of the route made no damages claim and did not appear.
When asked about his motives, the student explained that he wanted to send a signal against Kickl and against the route creator, to whom he repeatedly attributes Nazi allusions in route names. "One of them he called Swastika, for example. I think he is a fascist," said the defendant.
Auracher countered that he could not see any appropriation of the mountains in the National Socialist sense. Moreover, Kickl as first ascender only entered the public consciousness broadly through the sabotage action itself. However, for the legal assessment of the alleged offences – property damage and theft – the political context was immaterial: "The act must be considered independently of that."
The judge also rejected the allegation of endangering other climbers: since the route had been almost completely dismantled, no one could have unwittingly accessed it.
Since the defendant has no prior convictions and confessed to the act, Auracher offered a diversion. In addition to a flat-rate cost contribution of €100, the student must provide proof of 120 hours of community service – for example with alpine clubs working on litter clearance or trail marking. The state prosecutor made no statement; proceedings were formally adjourned pending completion of the hours.
The defence lawyer enquired whether a fine would be possible instead, since her client was already engaged in environmental protection in the mountains. Auracher declined: "He destroyed part of nature and now he should give something back to it."
Source: Kleine Zeitung