AUSTRIA: Racism and fascism
01 January 1991
AUSTRIA: Racism and fascism
artdoc July=1994
Local elections boost FPO
The far-Right Freedom party led by Jurg Haider has made
substantial gains in three provincial elections, increasing its
share of the vote in the states of Tyrol, Salzburg and Carinthia
by an average of 2.5 per cent on 1989. During the run up to the
elections, Haider relaunched his `Austria First' campaign which
is widely viewed as an anti-foreigner crusade. Haider did
particularly well in the southern state of Carinthia, gaining 33
per cent of the vote. Three years ago, Haider was forced to quit
as state governor after he publicly praised Adolf Hitler's
employment policy during the Third Reich . Haider predicts that
the FPO will do well in parliamentary elections this Autumn, and
has predicted that he will take office as Austria's next
chancellor in 1998 (Guardian 14.3.94, Newsweek 28.3.94).
Focus on Vienna
Romany youth murdered
A 16-year-old Romany, named only as Goran, was killed in Vienna
on New Year's eve. A 49-year-old man stabbed Goran in the heart
with a bayonet, leaving him to bleed to death on the streets.
Goran's girlfriend was also stabbed but survived. The killer,
named as Wolfgang J, has been arrested. Early reports indicate
that the man `adored Adolf Hitler' and had a copy of Mein Kampf
and other nazi literature on his bookshelf. According to his son,
`he hated everything and everybody, but especially foreigners'
(Tatblatt 19.1.94).
Right-wing extremists linked to police
The police, allege Tatblatt, have been trying to suppress
information about the activities of far-Right extremists within
Vienna's police force. The `Emergency Defence Association' is
distributing nazi propaganda and anti-Semitic materials to police
officers. The `PSV Police' seems to be used by the far-Right as
a security force (Tatblatt 19.1.94).
FPO councillors under scrutiny
Two FPO councillors in Vienna are alleged to be members of an
extremist organisation, the `àsterreichische Landsmannschaften'
which claims that the concentration camps never existed. One of
the councillors, Barbara Schufnagl, a member of Vienna's school
council, is now under investigation for her extremist
activities (Tatblatt 19.1.94).
IRR European Race Audit, Bulletin no 8, May 1994. Contact:Liz
Fekete, Insitute of Race Relations, 2-6 Leeke Street, London WC1X
9HS. Tel: 071 837 0041