Knife rampage in Villach

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(Bild: zVg)

After the unbelievable attack in Villach, politicians from all parties are shocked. Carinthia's governor Peter Kaiser is calling for "the harshest consequences", while the black and blue parties are "using" the attack to pass the buck on asylum issues. 

"This unbelievable atrocity must have the harshest consequences! I have always said clearly and unequivocally: anyone who lives in Carinthia, in Austria, must respect the law and conform to our rules and values," says Governor Peter Kaiser in clear words. "Anyone who violates this must face the harshest consequences - they must be tried, imprisoned and deported!" He expressed his sympathy to the relatives and victims: "My deepest sympathy as Governor and, above all, personally as a father, goes to the family of the young man who was killed."

Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Governor of Lower Austria, also called on a future government to respond to the knife attack: "This is an unbelievable act. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and with the people of Carinthia. But this must finally wake up the entire republic. I have been saying for months that a future government must take strict measures against those who refuse to integrate, otherwise it won't even need to be in office. That is what Lower Austria is demanding. And if these strict measures are not in place, then a government from Lower Austria will have no support."

And further: "And if professional cynics always talk about blue handwriting, then they shouldn't be surprised if the FPÖ keeps making gains. Then these cynics are the FPÖ's election campaign helpers."

Stocker calls for full toughness
ÖVP leader Christan Stocker argued that the perpetrator should be punished "with all the severity of the rule of law". "My thoughts are with the bereaved families of the victim and all those who were injured in this shocking act of violence," he wrote on X. "It is thanks to the civil courage of an eyewitness that something even worse was prevented. Thanks also to all the emergency services who were on the scene within a very short time. "We all want to live in a safe Austria. This means that we must also pull out all the political stops to prevent such atrocities in the future," said Stocker.

Babler praises courageous civil courage
"Crimes like this simply must not happen in our society," warned SPÖ leader Andreas Babler on X. His deepest sympathies go out to the family and all the relatives of the teenager who lost his life. "My thoughts are with the injured. We have the courageous civil courage of a passer-by and the emergency services to thank for the fact that the perpetrator was stopped and arrested. One thing is clear: the full force of the rule of law must be applied here," said Babler.

FPÖ criticizes "fatal asylum policy"
Carinthia's FP leader Erwin Angerer was the first to comment on the crime. He was "deeply shocked by the brutal knife attack" and attacked the ÖVP: "We Freedom Party members have been warning for years about these conditions, which have arisen due to the fatal asylum policy of the ÖVP-led unity party, and are the only party to demand an immediate asylum ban and the consistent deportation of foreign criminals."

He is "furious with those politicians who have allowed stabbings, rapes, gang wars and other capital crimes to become the order of the day in Austria", FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl said in a statement: "This is a first-class system failure, for which a young person in Villach has now had to pay with his life. Such events are "terrible and unbelievably sad and the result of the security and asylum policy of the system parties". Kickl called for a rigorous crackdown in the area of asylum.

Provincial deputy calls for unity
"I am deeply saddened by the terrible act in Villach", explains Martin Gruber, Carinthian Vice-President (ÖVP). "It is now important that the background to the crime is clarified quickly, but one thing is clear: we need determination and unity at all levels, because these are no longer isolated cases."

Mayor thanks the courageous helper
"An unbelievable act has hit Villach right in the heart. We are shaken, shocked and deeply saddened. Our sympathies go out to the victims and their families," emphasizes Villach's Mayor Günther Albel. "Many thanks to the man who intervened selflessly, courageously and decisively."

"Team Carinthia" leader Gerhard Köfer also calls for consequences: "After this despicable act, we cannot and must not go back to business as usual. There must be massive consequences for the alleged perpetrator, but also for asylum and migration policy in general."

NEOS deeply shocked
The NEOS are deeply shocked. "We are shocked and deeply saddened by this terrible event. Our condolences go out to the families of the victims and we hope that the injured recover quickly and fully," emphasizes NEOS leader Janos Juvan. "Special thanks go to all those who intervened quickly to prevent even greater misfortune."