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Gnome-napping spree shocks Austria’s SPÖ

Four hundred garden gnomes belonging to the Social Democrats (SPÖ) in Vorarlberg have gone missing - amid suspicions they were kidnapped by political rivals the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP).

Published: 25 August 2014 10:39 CEST

Gnome-napping spree shocks Austria's SPÖ

The SPÖ's 'Coolmen' garden gnomes. Photo: APA/dietmar stiplovsek

The gnomes are known as “Coolmen” and were being used as part of the SPÖ’s political campaign in the run-up to provincial elections on September 21st.

Reinhold Einwallner from the Social Democrats has said there are suspicions that the gnomes may have been removed by the ÖVP. He said that he didn’t begrudge members of the public taking a gnome home with them, but that stealing them all outright was not right and “would have consequences” for the perpetrator.

The 400 gnomes had been attached to lamp-posts around the towns of Rankweil and Bregenz. They disappeared on Saturday night.

Einwallner said that the ÖVP’s election posters are now hanging in their place, and that it would be a “major scandal” if it turned out another political party had taken the gnomes.

The Social Democrats have ordered a total of 20,000 gnomes, which they will roll out over the next few weeks of campaigning.

They have filed an official complaint with the police, and a reward of €1,000 has been offered to anyone with information about where the missing gnomes are.

The Coolmen are supporting candidate Michael Ritsch. Photo: APA/DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK

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Asylum policy is a controversial topic in Austria, especially in an election year. The far-right has been pushing its anti-immigration agenda to gather support ahead of federal elections later this year.

While the sheer number of refugees can shape an election, differences in who those refugees are and where they come from also create challenges and demands for government action.

The profile of those seeking asylum in Austria has changed compared to recent years.

In the first quarter of 2024, almost a third of asylum applications came from children between the ages of zero and seven, as Austrian media has reported.

Around 53 percent of applicants are minors, and the proportion of women seeking asylum has also risen significantly. However, the overall number of asylum applications during the period fell by 32 percent compared to the same period the year before.

Whereas 2023 most asylum applications in Austria were from males (only around 24 percent of applications were submitted by women), the country is now experiencing the “family reunification” phenomenon. In other words the wifes and children are following to seek protection.

Asylum applicants are still mostly from Syria and Afghanistan – two nationalities with a high chance of obtaining protection in Austria. Only 30 percent of applications from Syrians were rejected, whereas for Afghans 39 percent were refused.

READ ALSO: Border centres and ‘safe’ states: The EU’s major asylum changes explained

What does the change in profile mean for Austria?

One immediate consequence of the influx of children has already been seen in Vienna, the destination of most refugees: the school system is overwhelmed with the new arrivals, as several Austrian newspapers have reported in the last few weeks.

“This is putting such a strain on the system that high-quality teaching is hardly possible any more,” Thomas Krebs, a union representative, told Kurier. According to the report, around 300 children will arrive in Vienna every month, resulting in a need for 140 classes by the end of the school year.

The Austrian capital was already overwhelmed by a shortage of teachers and an overflow of schoolchildren—particularly since the war in Ukraine, when 4,000 children were integrated into Vienna’s schools from February 2022.

The kids coming from Syria also need more support than merely German classes: “The Syrian children who come to us from refugee camps are a particular challenge for the system. Many are traumatised and often not even literate in their own language,” Krebs said.

He added that children need to spend more time in kindergarten—to learn “the basics, not just the language.” The education expert also believes it’s necessary to invest more in extracurricular activities, where young people can learn German, acquire behavioural skills that are important for school, and learn how to spend their free time meaningfully.

READ ALSO: What’s the reason behind the drop in Austrian asylum seeker claims?

What is Vienna doing?

Vienna’s Department of Education points out that new teachers are being recruited. In the current academic year, 2,400 teachers have been hired, Kurier reported.

Director of Education Heinrich Himmer said: “We support pupils and face the challenges together so that learning and living together work well. I would like to thank everyone who works so hard in Vienna’s schools. However, the responsibility for integration is an all-Austrian one, where solutions exist at the federal level.”

How does family reunification work?

There is a special process for granting family reunification rights for family members of refugees in Austria.

According to information from the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, if a foreigner has been granted asylum status in Austria, family members can apply for an entry permit at an Austrian representation authority abroad within three months of this status being granted.

If this is granted, they can travel to Austria to apply for asylum in the family procedure and receive the same protection status as the reference person. If the application is only submitted after three months, they must also provide proof of adequate accommodation, health insurance, and income.

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