More and more immigrants

ÖVP wants to take a tougher stance on asylum in St. Pölten

In 20 years, the proportion of immigrants from third countries in St. Pölten has more than doubled.

(Bild: P. Huber)

More and more Lower Austrians do not have red-white-red citizenship. With a proportion of immigrants from third countries of 14.5 percent, St. Pölten - ahead of Neunkirchen and Wiener Neustadt - tops the list. "The red government in the provincial capital overslept this development," says the ÖVP. And is calling for a dedicated integration office, more language courses for children, young people and adults - and punishments if necessary.

A 15-year-old jihadist from St. Pölten who planned an attack on Vienna's Westbahnhof railway station, IS graffiti in the city centre and many radicalized young people - political Islam is also showing its frightening face in the provincial capital. Not only, but also the consequences of immigration, as Florian Krumböck emphasizes. As club chairman of the ÖVP, he is calling for St. Pölten to have its own integration office. In place of the 300,000 euro position for diversity, for example. "We can no longer close our eyes to this social change, as the red city government is doing," Krumböck says, openly annoyed.

Growth only through immigration
Since the SPÖ city leader Matthias Stadler took office in 204, the proportion of Austrian citizens in the capital's population has fallen from 91% to 78.3%. This is despite the fact that the absolute figures are almost constant. "The growth is only taking place via immigrants, most of whom come from other EU countries," he says.

More and more pupils cannot speak German
The ÖVP candidate wants to focus primarily on language: children should at best be tested for their development by their second birthday in order to identify deficits as early as possible. After all, a good half of all children in elementary school no longer have German as their everyday language, and in secondary schools the figure is as high as two thirds. In comparison, the proportion of non-native speakers in lower secondary schools is only 14 percent.

Of course, cooperation between teachers and the police is needed for deradicalization and prevention in schools.

Florian Krumböck, ÖVP- Klubobmann in St. Pölten

Bild: VP St. Pölten

Krumböck is also calling for mandatory community service for asylum seekers and recipients of unemployment assistance. With penalties for non-compliance, he assures us. Immigrants should also be given a voice in the city in a new integration advisory council.