Chancellor Kurz condemns Islamophobic attack in Austria

VIENNA Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Monday condemned a verbal and physical Islamophobic attack on Muslim woman. “A sickening attack, which I condemn in the strongest possible terms,” Kurz wrote on Twitter, sharing a report which included video taken by the Austria-born Muslim woman who was attacked by an elderly Austrian woman. “In #Österreich [Austria] we stand for a respectful and peaceful coexistence of all religions!” he added. However, many social media users criticized Kurz’s tweet saying the far-right government was responsible for the rising Islamophobia in the country. Many citizens, especially non-governmental organizations, also condemned the attack on social media and showed solidarity with the victim. The discriminatory, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim policies of the far-right government in Austria, which had been in power for over a year, led to a dramatic increase in racist incidents, according to reports. * Written and contributed by Sena Guler in Ankara