UNESCO de-lists Vienna balls

VIENNA - Agence France-Presse

The Austrian arm of the UN cultural organisation removed on Jan. 19 from its intangible cultural heritage list the traditional Viennese ball because of one such event’s far-right associations.

“We regret that when the list (of balls) was sent to us we didn’t notice that it included the WKR Ball,” Eva Nowotny, head of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO, said in a statement. “Inclusion on the list must be in line with the basic values and principles of UNESCO which say that tolerance and respect of other cultures and the appreciation of cultural diversity must have a particularly high priority.”