Austrian court revokes citizenship from Ukrainian for religious reasons
An administrative court in Austria has upheld the decision of the Lower Austria state government to revoke the Austrian citizenship of a Ukrainian man after he refused to sing the national anthem during the citizenship ceremony in the city of Baden. The man attributed his stance to religious reasons, considering that singing the anthem is "an act of worship" that contradicts his religious beliefs, which led him to refrain from singing during the official ceremony in October.
However, the authorities in Lower Austria saw his behavior as a clear rejection of integration into national values, and emphasized that the refusal to sing the anthem cannot be accepted during the citizenship ceremony. The ÖVP and FPÖ parties stated that those who do not show "respect and appreciation" for Austria do not deserve its citizenship.
The Ukrainian man appealed the decision to revoke his citizenship, but the court rejected his appeal and confirmed that full participation in the citizenship ceremony – including singing the anthem – is "mandatory," and can only be exempted in exceptional cases such as physical disability or enforced silence.
The ruling also indicated that if a person considers the anthem to represent a form of 'idol worship' prohibited in religion, this raises questions about their true loyalty to the Republic of Austria and may pose a potential threat to public order and safety.
Landeshauptfrau Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) supported the decision, pointing out that citizenship should be the culmination of successful integration, and that those who refuse to sing the national anthem "have not successfully completed this path." Martin Antauer (FPÖ), responsible for citizenship issues in the state, emphasized that citizenship "is not a gift" but rather "a privilege granted only to those who demonstrate full loyalty to Austria."