Another day of remembrance marking the end of World War II 80 years ago began with warnings about the rise of right-wing extremism.
Speaking at the opening of an exhibition on Vienna’s Heldenplatz, Oskar Deutsch, President of the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG), condemned the rise in antisemitism.
Willi Mernyi, Chair of the Mauthausen Committee Austria, called on the police to continue taking action against far-right groups.
“We would very much like to stand here and celebrate 80 years of liberation without worry,” said Deutsch at the exhibition opening, “but unfortunately, the evil spirit of National Socialism – the master-race mentality, antisemitism, the hostility toward everything perceived as different – was not defeated.” In Austria and around the world, “unrestrained antisemitism is raging, putting people in danger,” the IKG president continued.
“It’s not only the far-right extremists who glorify the Nazis and sing about gas chambers in basements,” Deutsch emphasised. Islamist regimes and groups also demonise Jews and aim to destroy the Jewish state. This hatred is not new. It represents “the continuity of the Nazis’ annihilationist antisemitism,” which is being carried on by the Iranian regime, the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, among others.
Mernyi focused his remarks entirely on Austria’s domestic far-right scene. On Vienna’s Heldenplatz, he displayed a police photo of a weapons cache uncovered in Lower Austria. “The phrase ‘Never Again’ begins with taking firm action against right-wing extremists,” he appealed to the police, insisting they must continue to dismantle such cells.
With this initiative, the Mauthausen Committee aims to highlight the significance of Heldenplatz as a site of remembrance. Banners showing photos of concentration camp survivors and their quotes are on display. One of the survivors, Mark Olsky, was present at the opening.
