Poll result distracts from Austria�s biggest political problem

Comment by Thomas Hochwarter

A poll asking readers what they think about an alleged rise in racially-motivated crime in Austria has brought an "earth-shattering" result.

The poll conducted by Austrian Times, which ended today (Weds), found eight in ten readers (80.3 per cent) are "not surprised" by the soaring number of felonies connected with far-right ideology.

The overwhelming majority of readers participating in the poll agree with the claim that a "xenophobic mindset has always had a place in the Austrian mentality."

Only 11 per cent are of the opinion that the situation is the same everywhere these days while a low number of readers � 3.4 per cent - doubt the statistics and think that the number of reported crimes does not tally with the number of incidents that have actually happened. Meanwhile 5.3 per cent think that the soaring number of racist crimes "does not make sense" since "Austrians are social and open-minded, not racist."

But this poll result should not really shock anyone taking into the account the high number of such incidents that recently occurred in the country.

A group of teenagers attacked Holocaust survivors during remembrance events at a former concentration camp in the province of Upper Austria in May.

Only days later, it was revealed that a group of Viennese students had been sent home early from a trip to the former camp in Auschwitz, Poland, after teachers failed to silence some who continuously claimed "All Jews should simply be gassed" � in front of a survivor of the camp who guided the group through the venue.

Last week, a Salzburg teenager turned himself in after smearing swastikas and Nazi slogans on various public objects in the city. Cops in Upper Austria meanwhile discovered a memorial to Nazi euthanasia victims had been destroyed by three boys.

Political controversy hit the headlines recently as well. Martin Graf, the third president of the Austrian Parliament, came under fire for calling the leader of the Jewish Community in Austria the "godfather of anti-fascist left-wing terrorism". Graf, a member of the right-wing Freedom Party (FP�) and right-wing extremist student fraternity Olympia also accused Ariel Muzicant, the leader of Austria�s Jewish community, of "creating a climate of brutality" in the country.

Graf has been attacked by all political opponents but also various NGOs, but refused to apologise or step down. He claimed having only used "democratic measures" to defend himself and fellow FP� members. Graf�s statements came after Muzicant compared FP� general secretary Herbert Kickl with Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels.

The issue also put the governing Social Democrats (SP�) and the People�s Party (�VP) under pressure as they united in voting for Graf as third president of the parliament. At the time the �VP said it was common practice that the third-strongest party nominates the third president of the parliament. SP� MPs were free to vote against Graf but only a handful decided not to support him. After the recent incidents, the SP� called for a change of the constitution to deprive Graf of his power � but the �VP refused to offer support for such a suggestion in parliament. The conservative party only promised to observe Graf�s actions and statements from now on "more closely."

The fact that the third president of the parliament is a higher representative of the country than the Chancellor, as the parliamentary presidents follow the federal president in this hierarchy, worries the Greens and other opponents of the FP� even more. Dozens of respected artists such as Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek united in a petition calling on Graf to step down. Graf however said he would only do so for health reasons, adding he "thankfully feels totally healthy."

FP� boss Heinz-Christian Strache has faced harsh criticism throughout his political career but it intensified after he wielded a cross at a demonstration organised to prevent the extension of an Islamic Cultural Centre in Vienna. Church representatives blasted the "misuse" of this "symbol of love and peace" in a "vicious manner."

Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZ�) front runner for the European Parliament (EP) election Ewald Stadler launched a tirade against "problem gurus" after 16 people were injured and one killed when a group of six men attacked gatherers at a Sikh temple in Vienna recently.

All this controversy during the parties� EP campaigns � which lacked European topics in Austria � highlighted a problem that has always existed in Austria, a country with one of the strictest laws against far-right and neo-Nazi ideologies in the world: how to react to a surge of right-wing parties who apparently have to do little else than offer easy answers to complex problems?

The government are at loggerheads about this issue while facing losses at elections and in popularity. The question of whether the right-wing forces should be totally ignored or better approached has always caused friction for the SP� and the �VP.

Franz Vranitzky, SP� Chancellor in an SP�-FP� coalition, called for early general elections after far-right icon J�rg Haider was elected new FP� leader to replace moderate Norbert Steger in a putsch at the legendary party summit of Innsbruck in 1986. Vranitzky refused to cooperate with the FP� on all levels while �VP head Wolfgang Sch�ssel teamed up with the party in 2000 to form a government.

Sanctions by the EU and worldwide outrage were the consequences of his decision to form a coalition with Haider�s party. Sch�ssel was also criticised for the fact he became Chancellor despite leading only the third-strongest party � and having promised to go into opposition if coming in third. But the coalition stuck together for seven years � in which the �VP got stronger and stronger.

The FP� however saw dramatic losses in almost every federal or provincial election, mostly down to the fact that its voters supported them as a protest party revealing misdoings of the "powerful and rich" � something which contradicted the fact that the FP� was suddenly a government party. Haider stepped down as party leader and the FP� ministers left the party to found the BZ� in 2005.

Political analysts predicted the party would not survive since it had no "base" in most Austrian countryside areas. But the BZ� lived on and did better than expected, while the FP� almost reached the same heights as when Haider was in charge.

The issue of how to react to the general dissatisfaction with European politics and an alleged "mass integration to Austria that sparks exploding crime numbers" (as the FP� has said) will continue to afflict the two big parties. "Sharpen our profile" is the new favourite task of the SP� � and doubts that this will work out are understandable.

Austrian Times

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Poll result distracts from Austria�s biggest political problem

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Tag cloud:
Parliament incidents election poll problem European coalition government Graf strongest Nazi Chancellor readers president Haider leader calling crime Austria attacked

Poll result distracts from Austria�s biggest political problem

Related articles: right-wing Austria

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Tag cloud: Parliament incidents election poll problem European coalition government Graf strongest Nazi Chancellor readers president Haider leader calling crime Austria attacked

Tag cloud:
Parliament incidents election poll problem European coalition government Graf strongest Nazi Chancellor readers president Haider leader calling crime Austria attacked