Official Commemoration of November Pogroms Overshadowed by Protests Against Walter Rosenkranz
Vienna remembers the November pogroms of 1938: a moving light installation and memorial events at the Shoah Wall of Names commemorate the more than 65,000 Jewish victims in Austria. However, the official commemoration was overshadowed by controversy when National Council President Walter Rosenkranz (FPÖ) met with resistance.
The parliament commemorates the 86th anniversary of the November pogroms against the Jewish population in the Third Reich with a light installation on the House façade. 65,000 dots on LED panels form "November pogroms 1938" and "Never forget". / Picture: © Parlamentsdirektion/Michael Buchner
On November 9 and 10, the 86th anniversary of the November pogroms, the Austrian parliament will be illuminated in a special light installation. Thousands of dots on LED panels form the words “November pogroms 1938” and “Never forget” to commemorate the 65,000 Jewish children, women, and men who were deported from Austria and murdered during the Nazi regime. The exhibition “Torn from Life”, which documents the fates of Jewish Austrians after the Anschluss of 1938, will also be extended until the end of November in the Parliament's Hall of Columns.
On Friday morning, members of the government, parliamentary representatives, and representatives of the Jewish Community (IKG) gathered at the Shoah Wall of Names in Vienna's Ostarrichipark to commemorate the victims of the pogroms and the Holocaust. Wreath-laying ceremonies and minutes of silence marked the commemorative event, which this time took place one day before the actual anniversary, as it falls on the Jewish day of rest, Shabbat.
Controversy surrounding Rosenkranz: protests at private wreath-laying ceremony
National Council President Walter Rosenkranz attempted to lay a wreath at the memorial on Judenplatz independently of the official commemoration, as News reported. However, his attempt to visit the Shoah memorial met with considerable resistance. Members of the Jewish community and the Jewish Austrian University Students (JöH) formed a human chain and displayed banners with the slogan: “No commemoration with Rosenkranz & FPÖ: Whoever honors Nazis, their word is worth nothing!”
Rosenkranz was accused of not credibly distancing himself from right-wing extremist views. Critics point out that he is a member of the German nationalist fraternity Libertas and has referred to Nazi criminals as “high achievers” in the past. For this reason, the IKG had explicitly not invited Rosenkranz to the official commemoration. Rosenkranz tried to persuade the police to clear the demonstrators, but ultimately left the square in anger without being able to lay the wreath.
Statements against anti-Semitism and a call for vigilance
Political representatives expressed concern about the rise in anti-Semitism worldwide, as reported by News. Integration Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) demanded in a statement that hatred and violence have no place in Austria. Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) and SPÖ leader Andreas Babler also called for vigilance against anti-Semitic incidents and described them as “highly worrying”.
While official Austria commemorated the Jewish victims, IKG President Oskar Deutsch demanded that Rosenkranz resign his position as Chairman of the National Fund for the Victims of National Socialism. Ariel Muzicant, President of the European Jewish Congress, emphasized the need to respect the attitude of the Jewish community towards right-wing extremist positions. Only with a clear demarcation is it possible for Jewish life in Austria to continue in safety and dignity.
This year's commemoration of the November pogroms in Austria recalled the horrors of the Holocaust and the need to keep the memory alive. At the same time, it showed how deep the rifts in dealing with anti-Semitic positions in politics still are. The events surrounding Rosenkranz highlight the need for clear distancing from right-wing extremist views and respect for the suffering of the victims and their descendants.