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New York,
N.Y., March 12, 2001 - The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today said
Austrian right-wing extremist Joerg Haider is "continuing his
flirtation with anti-Semitism and has crossed the line into
anti-Semitic stereotyping" with his latest diatribes about Jews.
Haider, governor
of the Austrian province of Carinthia, is a member and former leader
of the Freedom Party, a right-wing party with nativist and
xenophobic policies. The inclusion of the Freedom Party in
Austria's governing coalition led to outrage in the international
community and within much of Austrian society.
Abraham H.
Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement: More
than a year after the Freedom Party entered Austria's governing
coalition, Joerg Haider continues his provocative flirtation with
anti-Semitism and has crossed the line into anti-Semitic
stereotyping. In criticizing an Austrian agreement on
restitution for Holocaust-era property, Haider repeatedly invoked
the image of the alleged powerful Jewish lobby by accusing the
Austrian Chancellor of seeking approval from "the East Coast," an
allusion to Jews living in the East Coast of the United States.
He also
mentioned "Greenberg," a reference to Stanley Greenberg, a prominent
American political strategist who is advising Vienna's mayor in his
current campaign, thus implying that the mayor is under Jewish
control. Haider's provocative statements about Ariel Muzicant, the
head of the Austrian Jewish community, go beyond any conception of
civilized political discourse. It is important that Haider's
outrageous remarks are met with an avalanche of public condemnation
by all Austrians.
In addition to
Haider's ongoing outrages, the Freedom Party continues in its path
of xenophobia, nativism and intolerance. In the current
municipal election campaign in Vienna, the Freedom Party's slogan,
"Foreigners: I understand the concerns of the Viennese People,"
breeds an environment of divisiveness and hatred.
The
Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading
organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services
that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
Contact: Myrna Shinbaum
(212) 885-7747
Sara Ladenheim (212) 885-7715
haGalil onLine
14-03-2001
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