Austrian vice-chancellor’s resignation is ‘validation’ of community concerns
Jewish leader says there has been more than 70 antisemitic, right-wing and neo-Nazi incidents under the remit of Heinz-Christian Strache's Freedom Party
Austria’s vice chancellor, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, has resigned over an alleged corruption scandal.
The resignation Saturday of Heinz-Christian Strache as vice chancellor and party chief illustrated why the Jewish community had distanced itself from the party, the community’s leader said in a Facebook post.
“The resignations and the end of the Freedom Party’s government participation are a validation of the Jewish community, but also a powerful validation of independent and critical journalism,” Oskar Deutsch wrote.
Deutsch said there have been more than 70 antisemitic, right-wing and neo-Nazi incidents since the Freedom Party came to power.
“Unfortunately, our fears have been confirmed regularly,” he said.
Continuing to have a no-contact policy with the Freedom Party “wasn’t always easy, but as Jewish community we always have to do the right thing. Both the Torah and Jewish history teach us that.”
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, head of the conservative Austrian People’s Party, called a snap election Sunday in the wake of the Strache’s resignation.
A video of Strache published by the German media on Friday shows him offering public contracts to a woman who claims to be a wealthy Russian national planning to buy a 50 percent stake in Austria’s Kronen-Zeitung newspaper. In exchange, the newspaper would provide favourable media coverage of his party.
The video reportedly was filmed on the Spanish island of Ibiza in July 2017.
Strache told the German newspapers Der Spiegel and the Süddeutsche Zeitung that the recorded conversation took place in a “loose, informal, and boozy holiday atmosphere” and without the services of a professional translator, creating a language barrier. He said he stressed the “necessity of conforming to Austrian law,” and that there was some macho bravado involved in trying to impress the attractive heiress.
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
