30 years of the Roma assassination

“The fear is now coming back”

The attack in Oberwart in February 1995 shook the whole of Austria. The perpetrator, Franz Fuchs, was not arrested until 1997.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Matthias Wölfle / APA / picturedesk.com)

The bomb attack in Oberwart: February marks the 30th anniversary of one of the darkest days for the Republic and the Roma. 

Josef Simon, Karl Horvath, Erwin Horvath and Peter Sarközi - members of the Roma ethnic group - were killed by a booby trap in the night of February 5, 1995 while trying to remove a plaque with the inscription "Roma back to India".

Josef Simon, Karl Horvath, Erwin Horvath and Peter Sarközi (l.) were killed by the explosion when they tried to remove a plaque with the inscription "Roma back to India".

(Bild: Romapastoral)

It was the most serious attack in a series of bombs that shook Austria in the 1990s. The chronology was also one of the most sensational and elaborate criminal cases in the country's history.

Perpetrator was on the run for more than two years
The lengthy investigation only came to an end by chance in 1997. During a traffic stop in Gralla in southern Styria, the 48-year-old surveying technician Franz Fuchs detonated an explosive device that tore off both of his hands. He is still regarded as the lone perpetrator.

On February 6, a bomb also detonated in the hands of refuse collection worker Erich Preiszler in Stinatz.

(Bild: Weber Franz/Franz Weber)

At the time of the attack in Oberwart, around 150 people lived in the Roma settlement on the outskirts of the town. Among them was Susanne Horvath, who remembers the night of horror: "We were torn from our sleep by screams. Out of the house, not knowing what had happened, the residents ran towards the tunnel." She herself stayed behind in the house with her two children. "I was scared." The feeling was also unsettling, as the commotion in the otherwise quiet settlement grew. Police, journalists, onlookers, everyone wanted to know what had happened, says Horvath. There was no psychological support, on the contrary. "The police searched all the houses, we were treated like criminals."

It was the most serious attack in a series that also claimed 13 lives in the 1990s. There was great mourning after the attack, and a mourning flag was put up on the town signs.

(Bild: Weber Franz/Franz Weber)

Her family no longer wanted to deal with the fear of whether or what might happen next. "Three years after the attack, we moved into a house in the city. First and foremost to finally find some peace and quiet." The terrible memories will remain forever, says Horvath. "We are currently back at a point where radicalism is on the rise and fear is returning," appeals Susanne Horvath - no historical repetition, no racist ideas! 30 years have passed since the largest act of violence motivated by domestic politics in the Second Republic.

OHO commemorates 30 years of the Roma assassination: Wolfgang Horwath, Andreas Lehner, Nora Demattio, Horst Horvath, Susanne Horvath and Peter Wagner (l.).

(Bild: Carina Fenz)

Open House Oberwart remembers the assassination attempt
The anniversary of the assassination will be commemorated at the Offenes Haus Oberwart from February 7 to March 23 with a series of events - in remembrance, but also to encourage public dialog, says OHO Managing Director Nora Demattio. In the days of the assassination, the OHO with its then Managing Director Horst Horvath was considered the first port of call not only for artists, but also for national and international media. Wolfgang Horwath is showing a cycle of charcoal and ash drawings that were created in response to the terrible bomb attack. "It was the only way I could cope with my own horror."

Film presentations and workshops
Artist Andreas Lehner is curating the exhibition "Letters of fear", in which more than 80 authors expressed their thoughts on the letter bomb series at the time. Director Peter Wagner wants to contribute to the discourse with his contribution. The play "The Saviors" is about three landowners from central Burgenland who saved the lives of dozens of Roma during the Nazi era by hiring them as workers. There will also be film and audio book presentations, discussions and a workshop on right-wing extremism, announces Horst Horvath from the VHS Roma.