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ANTI-SEMITISM

Austrian President denounces ‘arson attack’ in Jewish section of cemetery

Austrian police are investigating possible arson after a hall in the Jewish part of the Vienna cemetery was damaged by fire. Politicians including the Chancellor and President have denounced rising anti-Semitism.

Published: 1 November 2023 14:15 CET
Politicians in Austria have described a recent fire in the Jewish part of Vienna cemetery as an
Politicians in Austria have described a recent fire in the Jewish part of Vienna cemetery as an "attack" (Photo by ALEX HALADA / AFP)

Austrian police on Wednesday were investigating a fire that damaged a hall at the Jewish part of the Vienna cemetery, with politicians condemning anti-Semitic violence.

Cities in Europe have seen a spike in anti-Semitic attacks in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, a fire broke out at the Jewish part of the Vienna cemetery, damaging a ceremony hall, officers said.

The cemetery walls were sprayed with anti-Semitic symbols, police added.

“We have launched an investigation,” a police spokeswoman told AFP, adding they were still probing if arson was the cause of the fire.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said “(I) strongly condemn the attack on the Jewish cemetery in Vienna”.

“Anti-Semitism has no place in our society… I hope the perpetrators are identified quickly,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

President Alexander Van der Bellen said he was “deeply shocked” by the “arson attack”.

“The number of anti-Semitic incidents in Austria has increased significantly in recent weeks. That has to stop!” he wrote on X.

Several Israeli flags have also been torn down recently, with police investigating the incidents.

Israel has bombarded the Palestinian territory of Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants, which killed around 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

Some 8,800 people, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza, the health ministry in the Hamas controlled territory said in its latest toll.

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CRIME

Does Austria have a drug problem?

Vienna is among the European capitals with the highest number of drug-related deaths. What is the current situation?

Published: 14 June 2024 15:06 CEST
Does Austria have a drug problem?

Police in the Austrian capital, Vienna, this week received a special nasal spray used as an antidote for opioid overdose. It’s now part of the force’s first aid kits, as Austrian media reported.

The spray is used as an antidote for poisoning with opioids such as fentanyl and is part of the standard equipment of US police units. In Austria, the departments specialising in combating drugs will now also receive the spray vials, the Ministry of the Interior confirmed.

Fentanyl is considered to be around 50 times stronger than heroin, and unintentional contact can have serious consequences – including respiratory arrest. “Inhaling large quantities is particularly dangerous,” the ministry said, according to the Der Standard report. However, skin contact can also pose a risk under certain circumstances.

READ ALSO: Is cannabis legal in Austria?

The situation in Austria is different to that in the USA, as Daniel Lichtenegger, Drug Coordinator at the Ministry of the Interior and Head of the Central Office for Combating Drug-Related Crime at the Federal Criminal Police Office, explained to the newspaper. “But of course, we want to be prepared so we don’t lag behind.”

What is the situation in Austria?

In the USA, which is plagued by the opioid crisis, the drug is now the most common cause of death for people between the ages of 18 and 49. Drugs like fentanyl are estimated to kill around 70,000 Americans every year. But what is the situation in Austria?

The latest data from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) reveals the prevalence of drug overdoses across the EU, highlighting the significant role of opioids.

While around 6,400 drug-related deaths were estimated in the EU in 2022, the report notes this figure is likely an underestimation due to incomplete data from several countries.

According to the available data, opioids, often combined with other substances, were the leading cause of drug-induced fatalities in the EU, accounting for over three-quarters of such cases in 2022. This issue is particularly pronounced in Austria, where opioids were implicated in 92 percent of reported drug-related deaths.

The country is only behind Denmark (94 percent) and tied with Bulgaria (92 percent). All other European countries where there is available data have fewer than 90 percent of drug-related deaths connected to opioids. 

READ ALSO: Do foreigners in Austria have to carry ID?

When it comes to drug-related deaths per million people aged 15-64, Austria’s numbers are still worrying, but not the highest in the European Union (plus Norway and Turkey). Here, Ireland has the deadliest drug problem (97 deaths per million people), followed by Estonia (95) and Norway (86). 

Earlier this year, the Health Ministry sounded the alarm in Austria, when it posted a report showing an increase in fatal overdoses and in the proportion of young deaths.  

Around 35,000 to 40,000 people in Austria are addicted to opioids. According to the report, opioid addiction mainly affects men (three quarters), people aged 25 and over (around 90 percent) and those living in urban areas.

As the report shows, almost half of those addicted to opioids live in Vienna, where 101 directly related deaths were recorded in 2021 (Vienna figures for 2022 were not available in the report).

This makes Vienna the leader in a comparison of federal states and has reached a peak since measurements began in 2003. In 2020, 74 people died from drug overdoses in the federal capital.

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