After the Villach attack

People from 122 nations live in Klagenfurt

What happened in Villach is moving...

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

The fate of Villach also moves Klagenfurt - mourners marched through the city center. A security summit will be held in the city on Friday. People from 122 nations live in the provincial capital. Often only tough rules help.

Around 400 people gathered in front of Klagenfurt Cathedral on Wednesday evening. They all wanted to show their condolences and consternation after the brutal attack in Villach. The funeral procession began with the ringing of the bells and lasted until 7.30 pm, before a Holy Mass was held in the parish church in memory of the victims.

"I am speechless and infinitely sad. It brings up feelings that a person would do something like this to a fellow citizen ... There are also people from different nations in Klagenfurt, it simply needs rules!", Wolfgang Stingl shares his thoughts with the "Krone".

Lydia Purchhartt is also at a loss for words: "Thank God that the Syrian food supplier prevented something worse from happening. All this must not turn into hatred, we have to be more aware of signals so that this doesn't happen again!"

It's terrible. No one could have expected this. The assassin should be urgently deported, a person like that has no right to stay here!

Herbert Rainer, Teilnehmer der Trauerveranstaltung

"Hit right in the heart"
This is the first official funeral march since the solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, and those present carry their candlelights through the city to light up the cold evening. "First something like this happens in the big cities, then in Vienna and now in Villach. What has happened has hit us right in the heart, I am thoughtful," said the head of the town, Christian Scheider, trying to find words: "It is a terrible feeling and it is high time for the federal government to get to the root of the problem." Nobody should get the feeling that such an act of terror is becoming a habit.

"We must not allow ourselves to be infected"
For cathedral priest Peter Allmaier, togetherness is particularly important in difficult times: "We must not allow ourselves to be infected by evil. We stand together and want to pass on the good to society," appeals the priest. 

Sicherheitsgipfel

In Klagenfurt leben 122 Nationen

Klagenfurt is holding a major security summit on Friday. Manfred Jantscher (VP), Michael Gussnig (LS) and Wolfgang Germ (FP) are local security councillors and therefore responsible for the police and public order service.

"We have to face up to terror"
"We have to face up to terror. And change laws so that consequences can be drawn," says Jantscher. "We are still a safe country that has now been hit hard by a terrorist attack."

The world is facing changes in the migration issue. People from 122 (!) nations live in Klagenfurt. "Unfortunately, people don't want to see these people," says former migration officer Sinan Tepe.

Klagenfurt mourns with Villach.

(Bild: Tragner Christian)

The Lindwurm also mourns.

(Bild: Tragner Christian)

"We have to face up to the terror. Klagenfurt must now stand on its own two feet," demands Jantscher. An attack can probably never be prevented. But everyone must work together and create new structures. Only the hard way will make the situation in Klagenfurt with the asylum seekers more manageable.