On the night of May 1st, the slogans “Death to Zionism” and “Victory to Palestine” were painted there, as well as on numerous other house walls on Heinestrasse.
Sobotka compared the graffiti with the year 1938. There were the same pictures on the streets back then. “This should have no place in Austria.” This requires a clear attitude and not just nice words on Sunday. Parliament has been warning regarding growing anti-Semitism for six years, Sobotka emphasized. But back then it was said that he was painting the devil on the wall or that he was exploiting it. It is known that 30 percent of the population is latently anti-Semitic, while eight to nine percent are manifestly anti-Semitic.
According to the President of the National Council, Parliament offers, among other things, workshops on the topic as part of the democracy workshop. However, schools sometimes do not dare to offer these courses due to migrants in the classes and fears of confrontation. “A clear stance from the teaching staff is also necessary here.” In general, Sobotka saw anti-Semitism also imported through migration. There is also left-wing or “feuilleton anti-Semitism,” as the anti-Semitism researcher Monika Schwarz-Friesel recently put it at a memorial event.
Image: (APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)
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Image: (APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)
Sobotka also criticized the appearance of the German-Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm at Judenplatz and his “very crude analysis of apartheid policy.” He views the developments of the past few days with concern: “If we give space to the left-wing narrative, we will have what Hamas is doing in Europe tomorrow too.”
The president of the Jewish Community (IKG) Deutsch also considered Boehm, who will give this year’s “Speech to Europe” on Tuesday as part of the Vienna Festival Weeks at Judenplatz, to be “the wrong speaker in the wrong place.” He attributed this not only to the person of the philosopher, but also to the invitation policy of the festival weeks in general: He asked himself why things were being made difficult for the Jews in Vienna, and especially at a time like this for people like the Greek ex-finance minister Yanis Varoufakis involve. Deutsch also saw this as an insult and provocation to his community members.
Deutsch compared the anti-Semitic slogans at a Jewish owner’s shop with the slogan “Don’t buy from Jews” in the 1930s. This was the beginning of a development that ultimately led to six million Jews being murdered. That’s why the painting over by official representatives of the state is also an “important symbolic act”.
“While the anti-Semitic graffiti will be covered with paint, the stain of anti-Semitism cannot be easily wiped away,” emphasized Roet. It cannot be accepted that Jews are made with flimsy accusations once morest Israel and that calls for genocide are painted on walls, shouted on universities or streets in Vienna.
