Document forgery at Salzburg Festival: Two activists on trial
Two women must answer in court for a pro-Palestine disruptive action at the Salzburg Festival 2025. Two other participants received diversion.
Trial following protest at Salzburg Festival opening
Two women from a group of pro-Palestinian activists who disrupted the opening of the Salzburg Festival in summer 2025 are to appear before a judge. A 36-year-old and a 57-year-old are charged with document forgery under Section 223 of the Austrian Criminal Code, as Franz Mittermayr, spokesman for the district court, told the APA. The main hearing will be "scheduled soon", according to Mittermayr. The two women refused a diversion settlement.
As Kleine Zeitung reports, another activist and a fellow activist instead settled the matter with a diversion. The corresponding fines have been legally binding since "mid-October".
Disguised as stage workers to enter the Felsenreitschule
On 26 July 2025, five activists gained access to the opening ceremony at the Felsenreitschule using forged ID cards, disguised as stage workers and with the help of a former employee. There they disrupted the speech by Vice Chancellor and Culture Minister Andreas Babler (SPÖ) with interjections and unfurled banners bearing inscriptions such as "Stop the genocide" and "Free Gaza now". A sixth activist was also involved, but did not have any of the forged entry tickets inscribed "Salzburger Festspeiben" — documents which, from the perspective of the authorities, constitute forged identification, but from the perspective of the activists were clearly recognisable as parody.
The ceremony was briefly interrupted so that security personnel could remove the demonstrators from the hall. After their arrest, all those involved were charged whilst released on bail, amongst other things for document forgery.
Security concept under pressure, one verdict already handed down
The action drew nationwide attention and brought the Festival's security concept under heavy criticism. As a result, additional security personnel were hired and further measures were taken.
On 12 May, a 39-year-old former climate activist was sentenced with legal certainty by the Vienna Regional Court to a fine of 880 euros — 220 daily rates of four euros — for document forgery and serious property damage. He had also participated in the action in Salzburg, but his case was tried in Vienna. "As a Jewish fellow citizen, I saw my responsibility in drawing attention to this issue," he said at the time before the judge.
Source: Kleine Zeitung