Cafe removes anti-right wing sign after threats
A cafe owner who posted online about barring right-wing voters from her establishment has said she will only post photos of “cakes and kittens” in the future after it provoked such a backlash that she feared for her life.
The Facebook page of Vienna's Fett und Zucker cafe has now been taken down by owner Eva Trimmel after she received threatening messages.
Following the success of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party in the Presidential elections on Sunday, Trimmel placed an A-board sign outside her cafe telling right-wing voters to “keep on walking”.
When she posted a picture online with the words ‘say it loud and say it clear’, she received a mixed response with some people praising her and others comparing her to a Nazi.
Trimmel said she now thinks she should not have written the sign, although she had expected some backlash.
“The fact I’m being threatened, however, makes me very scared,” she said, speaking to the Kurier.
Freedom Party supporters now reportedly plan on launching legal proceedings due to discrimination and Trimmel was also received threats that she will be "visited".
Although many customers came to the cafe in support of Trimmel, one man carried out an unusual protest by going into the bathroom after ordering a coffee and cake and stuffing the toilet full with toilet roll before leaving without paying.
When asked what her reaction is to being insulted and threatened online, Trimmel told Österreich newspaper that she feared for her life and has now removed the sign because she believed “her security was in danger”.
“It is a very bad situation for me. These reactions are disproportionate,” she said, although adding that the cafe has always positioned itself as feminist and queer and will continue to do so.
Comments
See Also
The Facebook page of Vienna's Fett und Zucker cafe has now been taken down by owner Eva Trimmel after she received threatening messages.
Following the success of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party in the Presidential elections on Sunday, Trimmel placed an A-board sign outside her cafe telling right-wing voters to “keep on walking”.
When she posted a picture online with the words ‘say it loud and say it clear’, she received a mixed response with some people praising her and others comparing her to a Nazi.
Trimmel said she now thinks she should not have written the sign, although she had expected some backlash.
“The fact I’m being threatened, however, makes me very scared,” she said, speaking to the Kurier.
Freedom Party supporters now reportedly plan on launching legal proceedings due to discrimination and Trimmel was also received threats that she will be "visited".
Although many customers came to the cafe in support of Trimmel, one man carried out an unusual protest by going into the bathroom after ordering a coffee and cake and stuffing the toilet full with toilet roll before leaving without paying.
When asked what her reaction is to being insulted and threatened online, Trimmel told Österreich newspaper that she feared for her life and has now removed the sign because she believed “her security was in danger”.
“It is a very bad situation for me. These reactions are disproportionate,” she said, although adding that the cafe has always positioned itself as feminist and queer and will continue to do so.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.