"Would have been for me"

Edtstadler comments on “blood attack” in Vienna

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/krone.tv und Mena-Watch)

Following the "blood attack" on Monday morning in front of the Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Minister for Constitutional Affairs and European Affairs Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) has spoken out. For her, the action is an example of how important the fight against anti-Semitism is (see also video above). 

When Edtstadler and the President of the Jewish Community, Oskar Deutsch, arrived, an activist (36) poured several liters of fake blood in the direction of the participants. According to the police, the man had loudly shouted politically motivated slogans relating to the Middle East conflict and blocked the entrance to the academy. The police forces present were able to prevent the action just in time and intervene. The Edtstadler office spoke of a targeted attack.

"We must not allow this"
In a statement to krone.at, the minister explained that she had been "deeply shocked and also personally affected" because "this attack would have been aimed at me". This action had been an attempt "to take a stand against Jews, because this conference had no other purpose than to network better in the fight against anti-Semitism. And we must not allow that to happen," emphasized Edtstadler.

This action was an attempt to take a stand against Jews.

Ministern Edstadtler zur Farbattacke

The two-day anti-Semitism conference is being held in Vienna for the third time on the initiative of Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP). Experts want to jointly discuss measures against anti-Semitism and develop new initiatives. According to the Jewish Community, the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents in Austria quintupled between October and the end of the year alone. The number of unreported cases is far higher.

"Barometer for society"
"The number of anti-Semitic incidents is a barometer for the situation in society as a whole," said Edtstadler in a speech at the conference. It is Austria's duty to protect Jews, she added. "Attacks on Jews are attacks on our society," said the Minister.

Slogans chanted at so-called pro-Palestine protests such as "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" were not legitimate criticism of Israel, but a "call for genocide", said Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog, who was connected via video message from Israel. Herzog saw no difference between "anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism" and spoke in this regard of the "oldest disease in human history". Israel's head of state praised Federal President Alexander van der Bellen and the Austrian federal government for their fight against anti-Semitism.

"Jews are afraid again"
In comparison to ongoing protests at universities in the USA, ÖAW President Heinz Faßmann identified a "currently still relaxed situation" at Austrian universities. However, there is no guarantee that this will remain the case, said the former Education Minister. IKG President Deutsch spoke of "terrible times" for Jews in Austria. "Jews are once again afraid to show their religion," he said and warned of the FPÖ's participation in government after the National Council elections in the fall. He saw a déjà vu here with the events in Germany during the 1930s.

Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) expressed his shock at the color attack on Edtstadler and the other conference participants on the sidelines of the Europe Day ceremony. "Anti-Semitism is the poison of every democracy", emphasized the Chancellor. Everything must be done to combat anti-Semitism in society. Violence would be prosecuted by the police. Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler also made a statement. On X, he wrote of a "completely unacceptable attack" that "must be condemned in the strongest possible terms". Kogler identified an "anti-Semitic breach of taboo" (see below).

National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP) also condemned the paint attack in the strongest possible terms. "Just last weekend, an SPD politician in Dresden was the victim of an attack with a right-wing extremist background and had to be seriously injured and operated on in hospital. We must not allow extremists of any persuasion to use brute force to impose their crude views and world views. A clear stance is needed here too, and not just fine words," Sobotka said in a statement to APA.