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18. 05. 09. - 16:00

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18. 05. 09. - 16:00

Faymann blasts FPÖ´s political hatred

Social Democratic (SPÖ) Chancellor Werner Faymann has condemned the Freedom Party’s (FPÖ) "unbearable agitation" and propagation over racial hatred.

In an interview in today’s (Mon) Der Standard, Faymann attacked FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache for "preaching hatred" in the European Parliament (EP) election campaign during the run-up to the 7 June EP election. The chancellor claimed the FPÖ’s election-campaign posters had harmed people with "religious feelings."

Faymann cited a FPÖ election-campaign advertisement in yesterday’s Kronen Zeitung that said the FPÖ would veto the admission of Turkey and Israel into the European Union (EU).

The chancellor said: "The advertisement was complete nonsense since it included Israel, which is not a candidate for admission to the EU. The only reason it mentioned Israel was to play up to people’s anti-Semitic prejudices. That is a disgrace. I sharply condemn such propagation of hatred.

"The FPÖ is trying to set people against each other, which is unbearable. Politicians should not stir up hatred of people who adhere to a particular religions. Politicians should play the role of models, but Strache is not a model but rather a disgrace," Faymann added.

Faymann said SPÖ Education Minister Claudia Schmied would initiate an educational campaign in Austrian schools. "We need more anti-fascist education," he said, adding that harming people’s religious feeling was not a minor matter.

"We have an historic responsibility," Faymann claimed, "and the recent conviction of Gert Honsik shows that it is unfortunately still necessary to prosecute Holocaust deniers."

People’s Party (ÖVP) Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger yesterday also condemned the FPÖ’s "hateful election-campaign rhetoric".

The foreign minister said: "An election campaign does not excuse the fomenting of demonisation of others and the use of abstruse prejudice, especially given the presence of some 350,000 Muslims in Austria."

Strache was re-elected FPÖ leader for the third time on Saturday with 97 per cent of the vote at a party congress. It was the highest percentage he has received.

The FPÖ leader called the neo-Nazi disturbance in Ebensee a week ago Saturday as an "unorganised, stupid event" that should be condemned, but warned against defaming the town as a Nazi centre.

Strache also said it would be a mistake to make a mountain out of a molehill and to keep aberrant adolescents in detention for weeks.

The FPÖ called for the resignation of Austrian Jewish Community President Ariel Muzicant yesterday in the wake of his comparison with FPÖ General Secretary Herbert Kickl with Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.

Muzicant also noted that Hitler had been democratically elected German chancellor in 1933.

Austrian Times

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