© ÖVP Vienna
Messages of hate have been ‘adorning’ St Anthony’s Church in Vienna’s Favoriten district for months. An ‘alarming warning signal’, according to the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). Now the slogans are to be removed.
‘Islam will win‘, “Deen over Dunya” (’Religion over secular life”) and other hate messages have been “decorating” St Anthony’s Church (Favoriten) for months. As ‘Heute’ reported, the brick building near Reumannplatz was smeared by unknown persons at the beginning of May.
‘In view of the recently foiled terrorist attack in Vienna, such graffiti is an alarming warning signal that must not be ignored,’ said Vienna’s VP leader Karl Mahrer. ‘We are at a decisive turning point,’ he is convinced.
The recent graffiti on the walls of St Anthony’s Church would reveal ‘profound problems that are at the very heart of Vienna’. These problems of cultural segregation, particularly in migrant communities, are increasingly leading to the formation of a counter-society.
‘In order to send a clear signal against this threat’, the ÖVP now wants to pay for the removal. It should be ready by the end of August. ‘It is particularly important to us to stand by the church and its congregation. It should not be the case that places of worship have to pay for the cleaning of such desecrations themselves,’ continued Mahrer.
However, this should not become something commonplace: ‘Furthermore, we demand that the City of Vienna takes responsibility for the removal of such graffiti on public buildings in future,’ said the Vienna ÖVP leader.
ÖVP lässt Islam-Botschaften auf Antonskirche entfernen (msn.com)