2023-11-01 10:21:09
Apparently a fire was set on the Jewish part of Vienna’s Central Cemetery on the night of All Saints’ Day. The President of the Israelite Community (IKG), Oskar Deutsch, reported this on the platform X (formerly Twitter). The anteroom of the ceremonial hall at the fourth gate of the cemetery burned out. “Swastikas were sprayed on exterior walls. No one was harmed.” The fire department confirmed the operation and the police are investigating the cause of the fire.
The emergency services were alerted shortly following 8 a.m. on Wednesday, said fire department spokesman Gerald Schimpf in response to an APA request. An outbuilding of the domed building, the so-called ceremonial hall, was affected. The spokesman explained that “there must have been a fire there in the late hours.” But the fire largely went out on its own. The fire brigade was still fighting embers and ventilating the smoke-filled rooms.
The building was temporarily closed by the authorities, according to a statement from the IKG. There is significant property damage. However, graves might be visited.
“I strongly condemn the attack on the Jewish cemetery in Vienna,” tweeted Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) on the holiday. “Anti-Semitism has no place in our society and will be fought with all political and constitutional means. I hope the perpetrators will be identified quickly.”
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