ORF Chaos: Pro-Palestinian Protest Disrupts Austrian Broadcaster Amid Eurovision Tensions
Things are heating up in Austria ahead of Eurovision 2026 — and not just on stage. On Friday afternoon, a group of pro-Palestinian activists stormed the ORF media campus in Vienna, briefly disrupting operations before being removed by police.
The ORF confirmed to APA (Austria Press Agency) that the incident occurred “in front of the newsroom” around 16:00 CET. While the demonstration was swiftly contained, videos obtained by the Kurier paint a more intense picture: protesters lying on the floor, police holding them at bay, and the words “ORF enabled Genocide” scrawled dramatically on the ground.
No Lives Lost, But Plenty of Drama
Despite the chaos, ORF insists there was never any danger to staff or live broadcasts:
“At no time was the operation of the ORF newsroom interrupted,” the broadcaster stressed.
ORF doubled down on its editorial independence, rejecting accusations of bias in its reporting on the Gaza conflict:
“ORF remains committed to journalistic objectivity and will continue to report in a balanced manner. We categorically reject any allegations of partiality.”
Politics, Eurovision and Protest Collide
This couldn’t come at a trickier moment for Austria’s public broadcaster. With Vienna gearing up to host Eurovision 2026, ORF is already facing intense political scrutiny over its handling of the Israel–Gaza conflict.
And yes, fans are connecting the dots: ORF is under pressure both in the newsroom and on the Eurovision stage. Will this pro-Palestinian protest reignite calls for Israel’s exclusion from the contest? Martin Green’s recent “ongoing discussion” comments about Israel’s participation suddenly feel a lot less hypothetical.
Enter the FPÖ
Far-right FPÖ General Secretary Christian Hafenecker wasted no time calling the situation a “security scandal of the highest order”, questioning how protesters — whose plans were allegedly openly announced on social media — managed to breach the ORF building.
In a further twist, Hafenecker hinted at possible internal complicity:
“There are indications activists may have received support from within ORF structures.”
Cue the conspiracy theories.
What This Means for Eurovision 2026
The ORF newsroom may be back to business as usual, but Eurovision’s favourite host broadcaster is suddenly in the eye of a political storm. With debates raging about Israel’s participation, Vienna 2026 now carries an extra layer of tension — on and off the stage.
Because let’s face it: Eurovision loves drama. And Austria just served a whole buffet.
Source: Vienna.at
