2023-05-25 11:16:17
- SPÖ leadership race still not over
The red power struggle continues even after the members’ referendum has been completed.
The showdown will take place at the extraordinary party conference in Linz on June 3rd: Burgenland’s regional leader Hans Peter Doskozil and Traiskirchen’s mayor Andreas Babler will compete against each other in the battle for the leadership seat.
Babler had already announced that if the poll results were too close, he would not give up his intentions of being the leader of the centre-left party. Yesterday, incumbent Pamela Rendi-Wagner resigned after losing the membership voteas The Local reported.
Doskozil received 33.68 percent of the votes, Babler won 31.51 percent, and Rendi-Wagner secured 31.35 percent. A small percentage, 3.46 percent, voted against all three options.
READ ALSO: Burgenland governor Doskozil wins Austria’s Social Party leadership poll
- EXPLAINED: How does Austria’s Klimaticket work?
With summer around the corner and vacation planning in full swing, does it make sense to buy Austria’s ‘Climate Ticket’ for trips within the country? We explain the different types of ticket, and how they can save you money.
- Vienna to start school workshops against extremism
The City of Vienna is planning a pilot project at ten school locations in the fall – and is relying on “role models” to sensitise children to anti-Semitism, racism and homophobia, the newspaper The standard reported.
Verena Fabris from the Extremism Advice Center of the nationwide Open Youth Work Network (bOJA) recently highlighted two notable cases. One involved a Whatsapp group of schoolgirls called “We are Hitlers,” and the other concerned a young person trying to dissuade a classmate from attending a school dance because it was considered “haram” or forbidden.
These cases are not isolated incidents, as bOJA receives between 800 and 1,000 reports and inquiries about extremism and radicalisation annually, with the numbers increasing.
The majority of these reports, approximately 40 percent, pertain to Islamist jihadism. However, it is important to note that the spectrum is broad, and not all reports indicate genuine radicalisation. For instance, Fabris mentioned the case of a girl who started wearing a headscarf after the summer break.
Right-wing extremism accounts for around 25 percent of the reports, placing it second. Fabris further noted that this area, along with subjects like anti-Semitism, homophobia, and sexism, has increased prominence over the past two years.
In an effort to prevent such incidents from occurring in the first place, the City of Vienna plans to launch a new project called “We are all Vienna” in collaboration with bOJA in autumn 2023. The project aims to send role models to schools, engaging in discussions with young people on topics such as anti-Muslim racism, sexism, homophobia, and migration.
Education City Councilor Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos) announced this initiative during a media briefing alongside Fabris on Tuesday. Wiederkehr emphasised the importance of reaching out to school children before radicalisation occurs.
The project’s initial phase will involve conducting ten workshops at vocational and secondary schools, although the specific schools have not yet been determined. The target group for these workshops will be children aged ten to 17.
READ ALSO: REVEALED: Just how widespread is anti-Semitism in Austria?
- Asylum applications down by one-third in April
According to the Interior Ministry, Austria witnessed fewer asylum applications in April. A total of 3,467 applications were filed during the month, marking a 33 percent decline compared to April 2022, when 5,162 applications were received. Since the beginning of this year, there have been 13,634 asylum applications in Austria, representing an approximately 18 percent drop compared to the same period last year.
The Ministry of the Interior views these figures as evidence of the effectiveness of measures implemented to combat human trafficking.
While asylum numbers have been rising across the EU, with 324,000 applications recorded by the end of April, indicating a 34 percent increase, Austria has experienced a decrease. The Interior Ministry attributes this decline to consistent border controls at entry points and border areas within Austria and efforts to combat smugglers along migration routes abroad. Austrian police officers have been involved in these activities in Serbia, Montenegro, and Hungary as part of “Operation Fox.”
International cooperation, including the closure of the visa route for Indians and Tunisians via Serbia, along with accelerated asylum procedures within Austria, have also contributed to this trend.
By the end of April, the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) had issued 3,049 negative decisions through fast-track and urgent procedures. Additionally, 14,297 individuals had evaded the asylum process by leaving Austria on their own and renouncing protection. At the same time, 4,999 cases resulted in positive asylum decisions, while 10,070 decisions were negative.
In terms of country of origin, Syrian nationals filed the highest number of asylum applications in April (893), followed by individuals from Afghanistan (602), Bangladesh (504), Turkey (262), and Morocco (250). Notably, asylum applications from Tunisians (26) and Indians (60) witnessed a significant decrease compared to the previous year, where they accounted for over 32,000 applications combined.
READ ALSO: Tents for asylum seekers stir debate in Austria
- Ex-minister found guilty in Austrian government contract graft
Former Austrian minister Sophie Karmasin was on Tuesday handed a 15-month suspended jail sentence over illegal deals restricting competition for government contracts, a Vienna court spokesman told AFP.
The case is one of many stemming from Austria’s Ibizagate scandal, which triggered a sprawling investigation by anti-corruption prosecutors and led to conservative Sebastian Kurz stepping down as chancellor in 2021.
Karmasin, who was family minister from 2013 to 2017 before Kurz came to power, was found guilty of manipulating competitors to secure government contracts to carry out studies for the sports ministry, court spokesman Christoph Zonsics-Kral said.
The suspended jail term was made conditional for a probationary period of three years.
READ ALSO: ‘Reforms needed urgently’: Is Austria becoming more corrupt?
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