OPINION - Islamophobia in Austria after October 7

The author is a senior researcher at Georgetown University’s The Bridge Initiative. His latest publication co-authored with Reinhard Heinisch is ‘Politicizing Islam in Austria. The Far-Right Impact in the 21st Century’ (Rutgers University Press, 2024).

ISTANBUL

On December 12 of last year, the United Nations General Assembly voted by a large majority in favor of an immediate humanitarian cease-fire during its emergency session. Austria was one of 10 other mostly small-sized countries voting against the resolution, with Germany abstaining rather than taking a clear stance against it. The Austrian ambassador to the UN had introduced an amendment citing the role of Hamas in instigating the latest escalation of violence, but it failed under the 2/3 rule, with 89 votes, 61 against, and 20 abstentions. Since then, from October 7 on, Austria has consistently been one of the few staunch international supporters of Israel no matter what.

Austria's variable Palestinian policy

Historically, Austria has never been unreserved on Israel’s side. Some may remember the pioneering role of Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, who, during his tenure as an envoy of the Socialist International in March 1974, met and attempted to mainstream the famous Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat. The latter was still widely regarded as a “terrorist,” but Kreisky offered the PLO a seat for an embassy-like representation in Vienna back in 1980, at a time when the organization was still suffering from marginalization and exclusion by the international community.

This sympathy for Palestinians, which was driven by the logic of Cold War politics, and remittances from the larger Muslim and Arab world, has only shifted most recently. And it left its mark on pro-Palestinian activities in Austria. Especially after the election of Conservative leader Sebastian Kurz, the former wunderkind of Austrian politics who frequently referred to Benjamin Netanyahu as his "friend Bibi," Austria repositioned itself both internationally and domestically vis-a-vis its Palestinian origin. Internationally, he aligned himself with autocratic leaders like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and domestically, by permanently campaigning against what he had called political Islam, which resulted in the ban on hijabs and the closure of mosques. Even though Kurz is gone, his politics has since continued, which became even more obvious after October 7.

Systematic suppression and silencing

Palestinian voices from the highest levels such as the Palestinian ambassador to Austria and common people have remained comparatively unheard, if not silenced in the aftermath of the attack on October 7. And those who organized to make their voices to be heard experienced a systematic crackdown. On October 11, only four days into the recent escalation of violence, one of the immediate responses by the Austrian government was the crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations. A rally on that day was canceled by the Ministry of Interior a few hours before, which led to most participants pouring into the streets anyway. As a result, 300 participants of the rally were surrounded by police, and the identity of every single person was taken. According to a lawyer, every person was fined around €500 each for participating in the demonstration. Amongst them were also asylum seekers who were threatened with the withdrawal of their right to remain in Austria. This was a strong sign of intimidation from the Austrian government to any potential resistance to the state’s narrative.

Similar to the ban on the leftist Palestinian movement Samidoun in Germany, a leftist, anti-colonial association called "Dar al Janub (House of the South) Union for Anti-Racism and Peace Policy" has been faced with the threat of ultimately being banned. The association which was founded in 2003 in the context of protests against the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was using “social engagement and freedom of speech to devaluate other people, this is the basis for radicalization,” according to people close to the state. Following October 7, the Ministry of Interior raised the terrorism threat level, even though the minister admitted that there was no reason for the increased danger. Citing the vulnerability of Jewish and Israeli institutions, the minister is pushing policy reforms that would allow the surveillance of encrypted chat services. In this further militarized environment, various projects aiming at institutionalizing police presence have been implemented. On the international level, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer paid a solidarity visit to the “sole democracy in the region,” rejecting neutrality in what he called the “fight against terrorism.” Austria decided to halt €19 million of development aid to Palestinians, clearly aligning itself with the Israeli state. The “children of darkness,” it seems, can be neglected. The one-sided alliance with Israel and the negligence and even suppression of pro-Palestinian voices calling for a cease-fire is a new level Austria has reached, exceeding any previous experience.

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu