Several people have brought a lawsuit against the ORF moderator because he called them “Corona deniers” on Twitter.
The pandemic brought many word creations, one of which is the “Corona denier”. This term was thrown out very quickly, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, although not to the delight of those named. Because many who were so called had less doubts about the existence of the virus than about how the government and society dealt with it. The extent to which the term is degrading is now being discussed at the Vienna Commercial Court.
It’s about two sentences that ORF journalist Armin Wolf wrote on Twitter in January of this year: “A daily newspaper that has seriously discussed whether you can interrupt the Chancellor in a TV interview is printing a full-page corona denier- Advertisement – ‘because we consider freedom of expression to be an inviolable good’. I don’t have to understand, do I? ”
He had referred to an advertisement that appeared in “Kurier” at the beginning of January, among other things, Wolf had alluded to the newspaper in his tweet. In the advertisement, opponents of some anti-corona measures had claimed that masks were harmful to health and that the “forced vaccination” had not been properly checked.
Now Wolf is sued for revocation and omission, as the “courier” reports. Apparently, several lawyers and a virologist have brought the lawsuit at the Vienna Commercial Court.
The plaintiff is, among others, the Viennese lawyer Michael Brunner, he confirmed this to the “courier”. He qualifies the expression “corona denier” as a “defamatory designation”. “It is degrading. The word is used defamatory for people who do not want to acknowledge reality. The coronavirus is here, it is a threat and must be fought. That’s a fact.”
The hearing will take place on Thursday. The amount in dispute is said to be 35,000 euros.
(rovi)
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