On Monday, Vienna’s Jewish community demanded an investigation into the remarks made by the anti-Muslim Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache and his associate Klaus Nittmann.
On Friday, when the Jews and country’s leaders were attending the annual Holocaust memorial service – White-supremacists held a ball at the Viennese palace which attracts guests who include the anti-Jew fringe. Hundreds of Jews and non-White people gathered against the event. Police recorded only isolated violent incidents on Friday from demonstrators outside the Viennese palace.
Heinz-Christian Strache was quoted as saying the protests reminded him of Kristallnacht and the far-right ball-goers were “the new Jews.”
Freedom Party’s former popular leader, Jorg Haider, was allegedly assassinated by Israeli Mossad in a “car crash” on October 11, 2008. Only 16 days earlier, Haider had blamed the Zionist bankers for world’s problems for which he was awarded the title of being ‘anti-Semite’ by Israeli lobby Anti-Defamation League (ADL) even though Haider’s No.2 man, Peter Sichrovshky, was Jewish. On October 16, 1996, Sichrovsky was elected as one of six members of the European Parliament on the Freedom Party ticket.
Three-years-ago, following Israel-Firster Swiss MP Geert Wilders, Strache also had demanded that the Austrian parliament pass a ban on minaret construction and Muslim Hijab – it was hailed a good sign by the Zionist media in the West. In 2010, the Freedom Party even produced a video game, “Bye Bye Mosque”, which had drawn sharp criticism from Austria’s Social Democrats, Green Party and Muslim community.
Israel and the Zionist groups have alway found some excuses to slam Austrian leaders. Former president Kurt Waldheim (died 2007) was called a ‘Jew-hater’ for criticizing the Zionist regime while he was UN chief (1972-81). Austrian president Heinz Fischer mourned his death by saying: “We have lost a great Austrian”, as flags outside his office flew at half mast. Former Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel called Waldheim a great fighter for peace and freedom in the world. However, Austrian President Thomas Klestil (died 2004), was exception. He was loved by Zionists for praising Theodor Herzl and hosting more than 100 Orthodox rabbis at Hofburg palace and receiving a blessing from Israel’s chief rabbi, Yona Metzger. He died two days before his visit to Israel. On June 18, 2004 – Klestil penned an opinion article in American Jewish magazine, Forward, in which he claimed: “Anti-Semitism is often disguised as anti-Zionism”. Interestingly, a few years ago, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper made a similar claim!
Austria is unique in Europe’s Islamophobia drive. Islam was officially recognized in the country over 100 ago. Currently, over 400,000 (5% of country’s total population) live in Austria. However, the first proper mosque was built in 1979 in Vienna. It has 32 metres high minaret which was hailed by the then mayor, Leopold Graz, as a symbol of Vienna’s desire to be “a welcoming and friendly home to all people who live and work here“. However, the two other mosques which were build later in Telfs in the Tirol and Bad Vöslau, in Lower Austria – became problematic for the height of their minarets.
Austria’s Jewish population is less than 15,000 – but the country has 15 Synagogues to serve the Jewish community.
