Activists have occupied a vacant house in the Andräviertel in Salzburg. It is a house at Franz-Josef-Strasse 25a. According to the activists, this house has been empty for a year. Now it turns out that the property belongs to former ski star Marcel Hirscher. The activists already commented on the occupation of the house in a first statement: “We have decided to occupy the house on Franz-Joseph-Strasse this weekend for the general public! In the building, which has otherwise been empty for at least a year, we want to create a starting point for exchange, discussions and the search for joint options for action in our crisis-ridden society.”
The activists want to demonstrate against the vacancies and rising real estate prices. The problem, according to the activists, is the fact that there are more than 1,100 homeless people in Salzburg. 147 houses and 10,000 apartments are empty. “While more and more people are threatened and affected by homelessness, vacancies are being speculated on at their expense. Few benefit on the back of many. This is a logical consequence of the capitalist exploitation of every area of life and thus also the basic need for living space,” the action was justified in a mass mail, where the demonstration was also announced.
Hirscher bought the house in March 2021 for 1.925 million euros. According to information from the Salzburger Nachrichten, the neighboring house also belongs to the former ski star. Hirscher acquired it in April 2018 for 1.75 million euros.
