economist Stephan Schulmeister he is not a stranger. The 77-year-old worked at WIFO from 1972 to 2012. His book “The Road to Prosperity” won him the “Bruno Kreisky Prize for Political Book” in 2018, among other things. As a critic of “neoliberalism”, Schulmeister is particularly respected in the left-wing economic policy spectrum.
Shortly before the election, the SPÖ made a video available on all social media channels containing it Schulmeister economic program of the party leader Andreas Babbler expressly recommended. Also in the SPÖ media Contrast His analysis was widely reported. In short: Schulmeister is not a member of the SPÖ, he was not part of Babler’s expert council, but he is generally considered close to the SPÖ.
Comparison between Israel and the Nazi regime
opposite the Press On Sunday, the federal party rejected Schulmeister’s connection to the SPÖ. There was an unpleasant reason she had to do this: Schulmeister, who had already expressed sharp criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza last fall, has essentially reached the next level of escalation in the past few days.
Shortly before October 7, the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel a year ago, Schulmeister began sharing anti-Israel and anti-Semitic posts every minute. For example, a meme from the right-wing extremist conspiracy theorist Jake Shieldswhich shows a weeping Jew. The caption, which refers to October 7: “After we stole their land and killed their children, they stood up. Damn terrorists.”
Another post shared by Schulmeister argues that Israel is pursuing a similar strategy in the Middle East as the National Socialists once did in Europe. “Take on the other side what you are guilty of,” reads a photo of him Joseph Goebbels.
Meanwhile, the economist expanded the conspiracy theory of the current Israeli government Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Strive for a Greater Israel that also asserts territorial claims to parts of Lebanon, Egypt or Syria. Also famous posts with fake news – such as a Palestinian woman apparently shot dead in the street – found their way into Schulmeister’s news feed.
Not surprisingly, the reactions were very strong. At first Schulmeister’s supporters suspected that his account had been hacked. Son of GuttmannA World Jewish Congress board member, like many others, described him as “anti-Semitic”. Daniel Kosakpress spokesman for the Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that Schulmeister’s posts were “very difficult to tolerate” and “anti-Semitic filth.”
Justification of the schoolmaster
Schulmeister apologized for sharing the Goebbels photo. He justified himself again on Sunday in a “personal statement”. X. He tries to understand the conflicts in the Middle East “as systematic” and to see history through the eyes of Palestine since 1897. The schoolmaster considered that “power and powerlessness” were becoming increasingly unbalanced. And in cases like this there is a “danger of very great crimes” – such as the Holocaust.
“I wish everyone a thoughtful Sunday, the owners of the truth and the skeptics too,” wrote Schulmeister. He then shared an analysis that accused Israel of “genocide” in the Gaza Strip and compared the actions of the Israeli army to the Holocaust.