Anti-Xenophobic Rhetoric
Sebastian Kurz, former Prime-Minister of Austria
In many cases, Austrian politicians made statements against xenophobia during 2016-2021. The most prominent of these were members of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), the Greens (Grüne), NEOS and the People's Party (ÖVP). This party, as well as the FPÖ also distanced itself from some of its members when they were subjected to intense public scrutiny. Austria's president in 2004-2016 Heinz Fischer used his New Year's Eve speeches, as well as commemorations such as the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Violence and Racism in memory of the victims of National Socialism (May 8), to appeal to Austrians in general and politicians in particular to support human rights and fight against xenophobia and hatred.
Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz has also made periodic anti-xenophobic statements. Most notable were his words about Austrian responsibility for the crimes of Nazism, which he delivered on March 13, 2018, on the 80th anniversary of the Anschluss of Austria. Speaking at an event at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna to mark the date, he said that Austria suffered from Nazism, but it must also bear overall responsibility for Nazi atrocities. According to S. Kurtz, Austria at one time considered itself a "victim" of Nazi Germany. "Austrians who resisted the rule of Nazi Germany did indeed 'suffer,' but many citizens of the country supported Nazism at the time," the chancellor said. He urged residents to oppose extremism in all its manifestations.
Alexander Van der Bellen, the Austrian president at the time, said in the same speech that racism and anti-Semitism had not disappeared, they still exist to a certain extent today.
