Neo-Nazi vandalism at Concentration Camp Memorial

Alert DateFebruary 14, 2009 Country: Austria Address: Mauthausen General Type: Racist violence, Racist discourse Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-migrant/xenophobia, Anti-semitism, Islamophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants, Ethnic minorities, Religious minorities Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Culture, Political discourse -parties - orgs Hate speech/Racist Discourse Medium: Internet, Public Discourse

Related Alerts

Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin N/A
Victims Gender N/A
Victims Age N/A
Victims Number N/A
Fatalities - deaths N/A
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin N/A
Perpetrator Gender N/A
Perpetrator Age N/A
Perpetrators Number N/A
Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

In February 2009 the following slogan was sprayed on the external wall of the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial: “For our fathers the Jews, for us the Muslim horde is at the door! 3rd World War - 8th Crusade.” The text of the slogan was 70cm high and visible from a distance. Willi Mernyi from the Mauthausen Committee suspects “organised far-right extremists” of being behind the incident.
Shortly afterwards on a German neo-Nazi forum, further incidents of vandalism were announced. A forum member, who lives in Styria, according to his profile, writes, “We want a horror show, not free will, and so this definitely won't be the last vandalism of this reeducation centre.” Other users thought the slogan was “good” or “amusing and intelligent.” A different user thought of it as a “jumping off point” to warn the German people of “their complete destruction by Muslims (..) Nobody is interested that they aren't all Turk Muslims, the Muslims here are more a synonym for the whole bunch of our cultural interlopers.“
A further incident took place in March, 2010. Again a slogan was written on the external wall of the Concentration Camp Memorial, saying: “Turk and Jew: toxic blood.” The slogan was sprayed at the same spot and in similar letters. The offenders couldn’t be identified. Again in a German neo-Nazi forum subsequent incidents of vandalism were announced.

Sources: Zara Report 2009, http://www.zara.or.at/_wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ZaraReport_09Engl.pdf, Date of access 2011-10-30. Der Standard, 2009-02-16, http://derstandard.at/1234507182602/Mauthausen-Schmiererei-Weitere-Anschlaege-in-Neonazi-Forum-angedroht, Date of access 2011-10-30. Der Standard, 2010-03-05, http://derstandard.at/1267743351671/Erneut-Neonazi-Schmieraktion-in-KZ-Gedenkstaette-Mauthausen, Date of access 2011-10-30. Die Presse, 2010-03-05, http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/oesterreich/544443/Mauthausen_Erneut-NeonaziSchmieraktion, Date of access 2011-10-30. oe24.at, 2010-03-05, http://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/chronik/Neonazi-Schmieraktion-im-KZ-Mauthausen/768567, Date of access 2011-10-30.