In Austria’s recent national elections, voters gave significant support to a party that seeks to bring back Nazi symbols and salutes. The anti-immigrant Freedom Party (FPO), headed by Heinz-Christian Strache, former dental assistant and representative of Europe’s Cities Against Islamisation group, won 18 percent of the vote.
Another anti-immigrant party, the Alliance for Austria’s Future, led by Jörg Haider, a former Freedom Party leader who broke away and formed a new party in 2005, got 11 percent of the vote. Together, these allied parties won almost a third of the vote, giving them huge gains over the traditional leading parties, the center-left Social Democrats and the conservative Austrian People’s Party.
According to AFP, “the exact distribution of the 183 parliamentary seats will only be officially announced on October 6, 2008. But the combined score of the far-right parties would put them in second place ahead of the conservatives.”
In 2000, when anti-immigrant parties also gained significant power, the People’s Party formed a coalition with the Freedom Party. As a result, Israel recalled its ambassador in protest. The United States also recalled its ambassador “for consultations.” European governments began downgrading relations with the Austrian government. Reacting to world opinion, then-president of the FPO Jörg Haider began to downplay his anti-immigrant, pro-Nazi stance. But similar attempts by the FPO to downplay these sentiments now aren’t having much of an effect.
Jewish leaders from Vienna to Israel expressed significant alarm about Austria’s election results. Raimund Fastenbauer,director general of Vienna’s Jewish community, said:
“Strache wants the banning of the use of Nazis’ symbols and Nazis’ ideas to be lifted. Such attitude speaks for itself,” he said.
He added: “Not all people who vote for him are neo-Nazis, but the hard core of his party has extreme right-wing backgrounds. He gives people having a neo-Nazi past high positions within the party.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told Ynet:
“We are very concerned over the rise to power of people who promote hatred of foreigners and Holocaust denial, and befriend neo-Nazis. We see it as a disturbing development and are following the matter very closely.” …
However, he also stressed that “it is still early to attempt any alteration in the diplomatic relations between the two countries. We are merely following developments with concern.”
Strache is a member of Cities Against Islamisation and his Freedom Party is assumed by many to be anti-Islam. So, why aren’t we also hearing immediate cries of alarm from Muslim media outlets like Iran’s Tehran Times?
We’re not hearing cries of alarm because the FPO is aligned with the Iranian regime. According to theJerusalem Post, Strache “vehemently opposes sanctions designed to force a suspension of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.”
13 comments:
Is your point that there are no Jews in Austria? Or that Austria doesn't acknowledge its Jews?
As I understand it, there are no Jews in Poland (land of Auscwitz) either.
Strangely enough, there is a somewhat sizable population of Jews in Germany.
Guy's here you've made a old fault. FPÖ and BZÖ are NOT Rassists! We're from Switzerland, the neighbours of Austria, so take our comment serious: those two parties are simply "right partys" (one of the Leaders is a Jew). What's wrong about it? You two, in the states got the republicans right? So why you take a comment of an englisch newspaper serious?
This is a really bad article for the IBA!
demonizing right politic (mostly from lefties, left media or liberals) is the beginning of the end ... in europe it's the declared ambition of the EU (remember Bat'Yeors Eurabia) to form a new pro-islam order. For that it's necessery to move the views of the voters to the middle or the left and relitivise the right, conservatives.
Do you want to support this? Those parties protect our jewish-christian Europe, like the SVP in Switzerland, and you guys talk, like the MSM of rassism? We're your best friends here in Europe, but at some point we're also Europeans and not Americans ...
Die Realitat,
Please post on the subject. There may be much we do not know.
Feel free to disagree with me in the strongest terms.
Is that what you expect to happen?
Who are you? What name do you go by at other websites? What websites do you read?
I'm wondering if you are aware of the current controversy over exactly this issue in the "blogosphere".
Anusim
Anusim are also known as Moranos (Marano). 'Anusim' is a Hebrew term meaning "those who were coerced".
(yes, I am aware of the blog controversy)
Die Realitat,
No, I don't want to support the status quo. I think it's absolutely insane that the Mayor and the police sided with the leftie fascists.
I also think Stop the Islamization of Europe (SIOE) is a good answer. They have stood against Ethnic Nationalism while the Center for Vigilant Freedom (America) has stood for it.
These are my opinions, of course, and I do hold out the possibility that I am wrong.
You are a contributor here. Everyone is allowed to write what they believe. So, please let us know who you support and why.
auto-translated text of the Austrian Freedom party's position concerning Islam and the Islamic world
PDF for original Austrian page
Yes, Die Realitat, I am deeply concerned.
You write: "one of the Leaderes of the FPÖ is a Jew"
So? Bumbling Olmert, a Jew has severely undermined Israel's security.
Soros, a Jew - his destructive practices have reached both sides of the Atlantic.
John J. Mearsheimer, and Noam Chomsky are both Jews . . .and antisemites.
FPÖ is sacrificing Israel to appease muslim sensibilities. That is unacceptable.
Re-read the section of the FPÖ's position titled:
Islam as one of the motheistic relgions World deserves our respect
That section wreaks of pro-Islam re-education success.
Re-read Bat Ye'or's Eurabia .
Jews and Israel are NOT bargaining chips!
Anonymous at 6:46 PM,
I'm in agreement with you; Israel and the Jews are not bargaining chips.
My question is, when a party like the VB, or the Front National, or the BNP, say they support Israel, does that mean they are ok?
Didn't Carl in Jerusalem post recently that one of them Neturei Karta freaks is in one of the two right-wing parties? We live in interesting times.
1. I'm a resident of the US so my opinion on this matter is rather moot.
2. Yes, advocating for Israel's survival is an indication they are headed in the appropriate direction (caveat emptor/subject to all defects)
3. The clock is rapidly running out for the UK. From my birds nest view, I notice that the wind is shifting and the Tories are beginning to stir. If the Tories ally with the BNP (ok, stop laughing and breath)there is potential for rapid change.
As a single party, neither the BNP or the Tories have sufficient footing at this moment.
But that's what the UK's got to work with right now. NuLabor must be defeated and held accountable for the mess they created. The UK must also distance themselves from the EU immediately - if not sever relations until domestic matters are resolved.
*************
Vlams Belang and the Nationalist movements are not a problem with me if they also unconditionally support Israel's survival.
Austria's FPÖ openly declares it allies with Iran & the Palestinians and against Israel - they can suffer the consequences of their short sightedness. Austria never came to grips with their anti-semetic past and will eventually re-learn some very difficult and bloody lessons the hard way, you do not bargain with the demon nations of Islam and expect to get ahead. In the end, such bargains result with the most savage partner surviving. Austria accepts takes the gamble - to their peril. Pity.
One wonders if alternate energy sources would shift their alliance?
Much of today's political alliances are based on sad realities. The West wasted nearly four decades since the '70's fuel crisis (instigated by Ghadafi) - ignoring the potential for political blackmail with the ME or Ruskie energy chip.
Read J. B. Kelly for further info.
Neturei Karta - created in 1935 have about 5K membership. They get far more publicity than they deserve. Ignore them and they'll fade into the irrelevance of their own creation.
Die Realitat: The antifa attacks in Cologne provided a horrific reality check which appears to be wholly ignored by what should be extremely concerned EU masses.
After having invested in decades of pro-Arab propaganda & revisionist history, antifa clowns yield dividends for the Eurabian cause. The outcome of the Austrian election proves it.
That is no reason to give up on the SIOE. It is my understanding that the SIOE stands with Israel.
I stand with those that stand with Israel.
I stand with those that stand for equality as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
I stand with those who fight against any attempt to weaken either Israel or equality of rights for all.
Islam, sharia and the Cairo declaration are against both equality and Israel. I stand against Islam , sharia and the Cairo declaration.
Lan astaslem. I will not submit.
Does that clear it up for you?
Pastorius,
You asked,
"How long before other European far-right anti-immigrant pull the old bait-and-switch on freedom, equality, and, well, the Jews?"
I don't know, but this is a bad omen. I hope they never gain enough power to do so.
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