1927: The Shots of Schattendorf

In 1927 Schattendorf was a social democratic bilingual municipality. Here, on January 30, 1927, the right-leaning Veterans’ Association of German-Austria held a meeting in “their” Tscharmann Inn. Members of the defence league, with reinforcements from the neighbouring communities, initially held a counter-demonstration 500 meters away, but soon moved through the main street and to the front of the Tscharmann Inn. In the tumult, shots were fired from the inn, killing a disabled Croatian war veteran and a child.

The three shooters from the inn were then arrested and handed over to the judiciary. A dispute broke out in the media in the following weeks regarding the assessment of the event. One side spoke of the “murderers”, while the other side spoke of a “self-defence action”. This media discussion was not to remain inconsequential in the subsequent trial. The acquittal of the three accused men led to major protests and ultimately, the fire at the Palace of Justice.