Mauthausen staff call cops after dispute erupts over teen wearing ‘Free Palestine’ shirt

Police were called to the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial in Austria after a dispute erupted over a teenager wearing a “Free Palestine” shirt featuring the Palestinian flag and an image of Dalal Mughrabi, a participant in a 1978 terror attack. A video circulating online showed a visitor confronting the teen and staff about the shirt, which some interpreted as condoning violence, while others defended it as opposing alleged “genocide” in Gaza. The memorial site stated that staff had not initially noticed the shirt among a large anti-fascist youth group and called the police to de-escalate the situation, which was resolved before officers arrived. The site prohibits materials that “promote antisemitic, racist or generally discriminatory views” and noted an increase in political matters at such sites, emphasizing the need for objective and empathetic conflict resolution.