Israeli flag at the entrance of the Jewish Community of Vienna main building was torn down and damaged

The Israeli flag above the entrance to the Jewish Community of Vienna was torn down. The perpetrators were apprehended by the police, and the flag was returned. However, it was heavily damaged as the offenders had attempted to set it on fire.

The female perpetrators were charged with severe property damage but remain at liberty. The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Fight Against Extremism was also notified of the incident.

Benjamin Nägele, Secretary-General of the IKG, responded promptly, stating: “The flag will be raised again today.” Indeed, just hours after the incident, the flag was once again flying above the entrance to the Jewish Community.

Oskar Deutsch, President of the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG Wien), declared in a Facebook post: “We will not be intimidated! I hope the perpetrators will now face the full force of our rule of law.”

Following the events of October 7, 2023, the Israeli flag had been raised at the entrance in solidarity with the abducted hostages. Alongside the flag, posters serve as poignant reminders of those abducted and the void left in their families. To this day, over 100 children, women, and men remain in the custody of Hamas terrorists.

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Statements

Declaration of the EJC on the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau

The Shoah, the systematic and deliberate mission of the Nazis and their collaborators to annihilate the Jewish people, resulted in the murder of six million Jews between 1939 and 1945. This unparalleled atrocity in world history must never be trivialised, contextualised, or compared, as such acts perpetuate the suffering of its victims and their descendants.