Violence spiral in Vienna – knives flash: Hardly a day goes by without a knife attack

The statistics speak for themselves: In the previous year, 959 violent crimes involving a stabbing weapon – from knives to machetes – were reported in Vienna alone. The range of crimes ranges from dangerous threats to murder. That means: On average, there are nearly three incidents per day involving “tools” that have accompanied humanity since the Bronze Age.

But in recent weeks there has been an inexplicable accumulation of bloody attacks that made headlines. Particular attention was drawn to the machete murder near the Jägerstraße metro station, in which a young Algerian was literally executed by a scroll detail.

Last weekend, a young man was stabbed in the back after an argument with a 15-year-old Syrian. Just an indication that the blades are getting looser. After the record year 2016 with more than 1000 violations and a sharp decrease in the following years, the reports have been rising again since 2020. Attacks with chopping weapons – such as baseball bats – also increased, while firearms play an increasingly smaller role.

Kitchen knife as “allowed” murder weapon
One reason: while the legislator can easily intervene with pistols and the like, this is practically impossible with knives. Because the most commonly used stabbing weapon is still the kitchen knife. And as you know, that is in every household. It is readily available and is a fire hazard. It is not for nothing that all types of knives are the most feared weapon of the police.

According to psychiatrist Dr. Alexander Bernhaut, the “statistical increase in knife violence certainly also has to do with a transcultural influence”. Especially boys from the age of 14 and young men up to the age of 30 increasingly carry knives. Not only as a status symbol and sign of strength, but also to resolve conflicts. First the fists fly, then the blood flows…

The ban on foreigners includes all types of stabbing weapons
The gun law in Austria is one of the most liberal in all of Europe. In principle, no knife, no type of knife and no design is prohibited. Ordinary knives with a blunt back, such as hunting knives, deer knives, bread knives or pocket knives, can generally be regarded as merchandise. Only if a lockable pocket knife, for example, also has a facility to open the blade, is it a prohibited stabbing or thrusting weapon – which according to the law of 1996 is classified as a weapon in the traditional sense.

However, weapons whose shape is suitable to simulate another object are prohibited. The famous dagger in the walking stick falls about below. Incidentally, since 2019 there has been a general ban on knives for asylum seekers, asylum seekers and third-country nationals who are staying illegally in Austria. In everyday life, however, the police are often powerless in the face of the large number of knives.