The interior minister takes stock after riots at rallies in Vienna.
AUSTRIA: What happened there in Vienna favorites?
Karl Nehammer: As Minister of the Interior, I have no understanding or tolerance when trying to resolve domestic conflicts in Austria. We have zero tolerance when people think they can attack events. I have instructed the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to investigate who is behind this escalation.
AUSTRIA: This is how it works for us: Turkish Erdogan nationalists attacked a Kurdish demo. Would you agree with that?
Nehammer: There was a massive conflict between Turkish groups and Kurdish participants in an assembly. Turkish groups have attacked this assembly. It was thrown at with bottles, stones, yes, even pyrotechnics. We have two injured police officers. Turkish groups then continued to attack the police. With a massive police presence, we want to prevent such incidents in the next few days.
AUSTRIA: Was the police prepared for this?
Nehammer: Fortunately, due to other demos, there were enough powers. I have given the order to move further forces from the countries to Vienna.
AUSTRIA: Shouldn’t we have to do something beyond policing? Often it is Austrians of Turkish origin who feel addressed by Erdogan or the Gray Wolves.
Nehammer: Both are required, including massive intervention. On Thursday alone, there were 12 criminal complaints, 22 administrative notices, numerous gun uses and identity checks. We not only had two injured police officers, but also an injured service dog. A dog is usually de-escalating – but these people even attacked him. As you can see, it was a massive escalation. The social responsibility is also a task of the Viennese responsible. The areas of tension have been around for a long time.
G. Schröder
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