"We have to look"

Homeless people are at the mercy of violence at night

A 52-year-old Hungarian man caught fire here.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Deep shock after the suspected arson attack on a 52-year-old homeless man in Graz. The man had previously refused offers of help. Reactions to the tragedy.

"My life on the streets was always associated with fear," Gregor Weiss told the "Krone" newspaper, which recently met the VinziDorf resident in Graz for an interview. The Styrian lived as a homeless person in the provincial capital for 20 years and experienced violence at first hand. "I was often threatened," he recalled verbal assaults, "at night, many people are out and about like vampires." Once, three teenagers stood in front of him with a knife and wanted to "stab" him, another time a man demanded sex. "'Otherwise I'll kill you,' he said."