Since Wednesday there have been repeated violent clashes between Kurdish demonstrators and Turkish counter-demonstrators in Vienna’s favorites. Injuries, arrests and damage to property occurred. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer and Integration Minister Susanne Raab (both ÖVP) no longer want to accept this.
Incredible pictures from Vienna have gone through the media in the past few days. Violent people threw stones, bottles, fiddled with pyrotechnics, even iron bars were used. The wolf greeting was also shown, the forbidden symbol of the Turkish right-wing extremist association “Gray Wolves”.
“What we have seen on the streets of Vienna in the past few days, we will not stand for the future. We certainly will not endanger freedom and democracy in Austria,” said Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) at a press conference on Monday. It is unacceptable for Turkish conflicts to be fought on Austrian territory. Nobody should be scared at meetings. “We’ll take a look at who the backers are.” According to him, seven police officers and a service dog were injured in the riots last week. The police report: 11 arrests, 57 ads, 220 identifications. “This number 220 is a very important one, we have extensive images, every crime is rigorously pursued,” announced the Interior Minister. These crimes would not remain inconsistent. First, the police will show a stronger presence in Vienna’s favorites, the 10th district, the Turkish ambassador will also be “quoted as Foreign Minister” and he expects “maximum willingness to cooperate” from Turkey. A round table will also take place soon.
Vienna State Police Vice President Franz Eigner said that 500 people stood against a small number of police officers on Wednesday evening, and the police then reacted. “It was only thanks to the great power of the police that on Friday and Saturday this excessive use of violence against police officers no longer occurred.” He would have been surprised that it was possible to get so many young, violent people onto the streets within a very short time.
Integration Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) made the same notion that there is no justification for such escalations, that tolerance is over if such riots occur in the middle of Vienna. “When hundreds of people march through Vienna with Turkish slogans and wolf salutes, it becomes clear what parallel societies there are.” In their opinion, the violent outbreaks are only the tip of the iceberg, which would include “extremist ideologies”. Raab sees an important starting point that people with a migration background should feel that they belong to Austria, which is not the case for many Turkish people, even if they are the second and third generation in Austria. As Minister of Integration, she would fight that: “Those who live in our country must accept our laws, uphold our values and our rule of law.” The first step, according to her, is to set up a documentation center for political Islam, which is due to start work in the summer. The aim is to examine the networks and associations that are the breeding ground for these excesses on a scientific basis. Above all, however, the Turkish influence on the clubs and educational institutions must be cut.
Those: SN
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