Commemoration of November pogroms: Muzicant defends no to rosary

“If there are FPÖ politicians who are members of right-wing extremist fraternities and who approve and support everything that is happening there (…), then you are completely right in saying that we don’t want to have anything to do with these politicians.” said Muzicant in an interview with Martin Thür in ZIB2.

Rosenkranz also shouldn’t be surprised at resistance to the commemoration of the November pogroms if FPÖ politicians meet or work together with the Identitarians who are classified as right-wing extremists or members of the partly right-wing extremist AfD, says Muzicant.

Muzicant made it clear that it was “not in a state of war with the FPÖ”. However, he wanted to appeal to people “to understand our emotions and our line.” After 1945, it was quite an effort for many Jewish people to return to Austria. However, this only works “if you take a self-confident, Jewish stance and make no compromises at all when it comes to the Shoah, National Socialism and this right-wing extremist, brown ideology.”

Human chain blocks the way

On Friday morning, Rosenkranz was prevented by Jewish demonstrators from commemorating the November pogroms with a wreath at the memorial on Judenplatz in Vienna. The Jewish Austrian Students had formed a human chain around the monument and told the President of the National Council: “Anyone who honors Nazis, their word is worth nothing!” Rosenkranz himself is a German nationalist fraternity member.

“I can now request that I be given the opportunity to get through here to the wreath,” said Rosenkranz, surrounded by numerous media representatives. Asked whether the action was not a legitimate democratic protest, Rosenkranz replied: “I would ask you one thing: you could ask me after this ceremony is over.”

However, there was no commemoration at all; instead, the police tried to persuade the demonstrators to withdraw, and Rosenkranz also discussed with the protesters.

He accused the peaceful demonstrators of “violence”: “They are preventing me with violence. But I avoid violence from you,” Rosenkranz said. “No one here commits violence,” the protesters countered. “Please respect the memory of our ancestors! We don’t want to commemorate with you, we don’t want you to spit in the faces of our ancestors,” said one protester. “You insult me,” Rosenkranz replied.

After a few minutes, however, Rosenkranz turned around and left Judenplatz. “I understand that there is discontent, and as a Democrat I also allow that there are corresponding rallies and events,” Rosenkranz told the media. “And as long as I have a say in this country in some form, there will always be fundamental rights and freedoms, especially rights of assembly, rights of demonstration, freedom of expression.”

Novemberpogrome 1938

On the night of November 10, 1938, synagogues were systematically set on fire, Jewish shops were looted and Jews were mistreated throughout Nazi Germany. In Austria alone, at least 30 Jews were killed, 7,800 were arrested and around 4,000 from Vienna were immediately deported to the Dachau concentration camp.

This year the commemoration took place one day before the actual anniversary because this time it falls on a Saturday and therefore on the Jewish day of rest, the Sabbath.

The 101 Israeli hostages who are still in the control of the terrorist organization after the terrorist attack by the Palestinian Hamas on October 7, 2023 were also remembered on Friday at Judenplatz. A Sabbath table was set up for them by the “Hostages and Missing Families Forum – Bring them home now” initiative.

IKG commemorated at the Shoah Name Wall Memorial

Meanwhile, the Israelite Community (IKG) met at the Shoah Name Wall Memorial. The FPÖ was explicitly unwelcome here. According to IKG President Oskar Deutsch, the reason for this is that the IKG continues to keep its distance from the FPÖ and thus also from the National Council President elected two weeks ago, citing numerous anti-Semitic incidents.

It was “impossible to commemorate the victims together with such a person,” said Deutsch, explaining the non-invitation to the media on the sidelines of the memorial event. Deutsch once again demanded that Rosenkranz resign from the chairmanship of the National Fund for the Victims of National Socialism, which comes with his office as President of the National Council, as well as his role in the cemetery fund and the Wiesenthal Prize. He also ruled out any future contact between the IKG and Rosenkranz and other FPÖ officials.

The President of the Jewish Community for Tyrol and Vorarlberg, Siegfried Aviel Gridtle, struck a more conciliatory tone and said that one should “wait and see what Rosenkranz does and how he deals with the commemorative issue,” he said on the sidelines of an event in Innsbruck.

“The day should be remembered as a reminder”

The Second National Council President Peter Haubner (ÖVP), several ministers from the ÖVP and the Greens as well as Vienna’s Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS) took part in the commemoration at the Shoah Name Wall Memorial. Unable to attend this year were Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, who is recovering from a spinal disc operation, and Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), who is taking part in the EU summit in Hungary.

The managing club chairman Philip Kucher was present for the SPÖ and party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger for NEOS. “This day should always be remembered as a reminder – hatred, violence and anti-Semitism have no place here,” said Integration Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) in a broadcast. Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) expressed concern about the global increase in anti-Semitic incidents and spoke of “a shared responsibility”.

Civil servants minister and Green Party leader Werner Kogler called on people to “resolutely counter the poison of hatred of Jews – in whatever form it manifests itself” and to protect Jewish life by all means possible. SPÖ leader Andreas Babler also described the increase in anti-Semitic incidents as “highly alarming and worrying”. Meinl-Reisinger called for vigilance and commitment to respectful coexistence.