Austrian Minister for European Affairs and the Constitution Karoline Etstadtler was today splashed with red paint in front of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AAS) as she was walking with the chairman of the Jewish Community, Oskar Deutsch, for the opening of the two-day annual international conference against anti-Semitism, BTA reported.
Upon entering the building, an unknown man poured several liters of fake blood on the participants. The conference is being held for the third time in Vienna on the initiative of Etstadler.
The activist is a former member of the "Last Generation" protest movement. The protest was directed against the "normalization of genocide" and for a "cease fire" in the Gaza Strip, activist David Sonnenbaum told the APA news agency. "It is not about anti-Semitism. It's about suppressing any criticism of the actions of the state of Israel," said Sonnenbaum, who is a member of the Jewish community in Austria.
The attack is beyond all limits, Federal Chancellor Karl Nehhammer wrote in "Ex". "Extremism and anti-Semitism are poison for our society! We will continue to fight these forms of extremism with all constitutional means!"
Etschadler's cabinet described the incident as a targeted attack. The minister's spokeswoman said the man tried to specifically attack Etstadler and Deutsch. "This was only prevented thanks to the quick intervention of the staff and the police.
Etstadler is shocked that "such actions are happening at an event that is focused on better work against anti-Semitism". Such behavior will not be tolerated. "Last week Jewish shops were desecrated, today attacks on participants in a conference on anti-Semitism - hatred of Jews in Austria shows its ugly face in broad daylight," she said.
This year's conference on anti-Semitism has been accompanied by an increased number of anti-Semitic incidents in Austria and Europe. As Etstadtler later explained in his speech, in 2023 the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Austria increased by 60 percent. In several EU member states, it has even quadrupled.
"The number of anti-Semitic incidents is a barometer of the situation in society as a whole," said Etstadler. It was Austria's duty to protect the Jews, she added. "Attacks against Jews are attacks against our society," summed up the minister for European and constitutional affairs.