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A group of activists from the group ‘Alerta Feminista’ broke into the offices of oe24 – the web portal of the Vienna-based daily newspaper Osterreich – late on Wednesday, seeking to force their way into the editorial newsroom. The left-wing anarchist group eventually reached the sales office, where they engaged in a heated verbal exchange with eo24 employees. The outlet claimed some of its female employees were physically attacked by the activists but sustained no injuries.
The 20 or so activists, who had their faces covered, sought to protest what they called “racist reporting” on a high-profile incident that shocked the Alpine nation almost two weeks ago. Their outrage was apparently triggered by the fact that oe24 revealed the nationalities of suspects in a horrific rape and murder case that is still under investigation. Four Afghan nationals have been accused of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl who was found dead in Vienna on June 26.
“You say sexual violence against… women, lesbians, intersex non-binary and trans people is imported. We say violence against [them] is the cruel consequence of a sexist society, capitalism and patriarchy,” read a leaflet brought by the activists, according to eo24. Eventually, the group fled once police arrived at the scene.
The case of the brutalized 13-year-old, identified only as Leonie, continues to roil Austria. She was found wrapped in carpet on a strip of grass in northeastern Vienna, and paramedics failed to revive her. While a detailed autopsy is still pending, on Wednesday multiple media outlets reported some of the grisly details.
Citing initial investigation results, the newspaper Kurier reported that Leonie met two of the suspects at the Danube Canal, where they “pumped her full” of ecstasy and later drove her to an apartment of another Afghan, where the fourth suspect awaited as well. There she was given more drugs and raped “for hours” by at least two of the men, until her heart eventually gave out.