While the investigation into the plans to murder a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old during one of Taylor Swift’s three planned concerts in Vienna is still in full swing, a political mudslinging is already raging over the threat situation in Austria and which (current or former) ruling party is responsible for the biggest failures.
The opposition believes that it is not sufficiently involved by the government. The criticism is that the public is also kept in the dark. For this reason, the SPÖ demanded that the National Security Council be convened, and the FPÖ also demanded that the Standing Subcommittee of the Committee on Internal Affairs be convened immediately. The NEOS, however, called for a briefing in the Chancellery with all parliamentary parties. Be that as it may, the convening of the National Security Council was welcomed by Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens), who at the same time called for “putting aside the tactics of the election campaign”.
High praise for the newly established Office for the Protection of the Constitution
On Thursday afternoon, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), who had interrupted his vacation, also spoke. “Thank God, a tragedy was averted,” the head of government emphasized and thanked all the authorities involved, who, in cooperation with “foreign partners”, were able to prevent the success of this plan, which would have had an “unimaginable scale.” In this context, Nehammer explicitly mentioned the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence, which was established in 2021 – and was in the same spirit as Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP), who, as a small dig at the FPÖ, said: “I don’t know I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened if the old BVT (the former Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Combating of Terrorism), which was destroyed by my predecessor (i.e. Kickl), had now borne responsibility.”
“I can fully understand the organizer’s decision”
The organizer handled the warnings very responsibly. The plans were very specific. Nehammer responded to the criticism that three sold-out concerts might have been canceled too soon: “I can understand the organizer’s decision very well.”
In his statement, the Chancellor also underlined the importance of “our robust democracy,” which must be held in particularly high regard in such times. Because it is clear that terrorism has a goal: it wants to sow hatred between cultures and religions and spread fear. “It is all the more important to show the strength of our society, democracy and values. By shaking hands and not rejecting them,” Nehammer said.
No explicit threat to further concerts
After Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna were canceled due to the threat of terrorism, many fans are looking ahead to upcoming events. At a press conference on Thursday, DSN director Omar Haijawi-Pirchner found “no information that further concerts are subject to any explicit danger” regarding Coldplay’s performances in Vienna and the Frequency Festival in St. Pölten. The Lower Austrian police are prepared, Coldplay organizer Live Nation wants to remain calm.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
