The Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN) and the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Combating Terrorism in Lower Austria have also taken action in this country in the form of measures coordinated across Europe by Europol. Weapons, ammunition, data carriers and numerous Nazi memorabilia were seized.
Searches and interviews were carried out on seven men and one woman on Thursday. According to a press release, the operation was “a targeted attack against online hate crimes and against criminals motivated by right-wing extremism.” At the same time, action was taken against hate crimes in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
The measures in Lower Austria were ordered by the public prosecutor’s offices of St. Pölten and Krems. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the eight suspects are accused of having reactivated within the meaning of the Prohibition Act and of having committed criminal offenses under the Weapons Act.
A clear message against hate crime
“Crimes committed by extremists, both on the internet and on the streets, will be consistently prosecuted,” emphasizes Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). And Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, Director of the DSN, also explains: “Taking decisive action against all forms of hate crime and right-wing extremism is the central mission of the DSN and the respective state agencies. Any attempt at right-wing extremism must be resolutely opposed.”
Across Europe, 209 targets intervened on Thursday to combat hate crimes both online and in real life. The targeted individuals “all had extremist ideologies,” the ministry said.
Source: Krone
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