Christmas Tree in Vienna Trenched with Gasoline "because it doesn't belong in a Muslim district"

Case information
Incident date
Country
Austria
Place
Wien
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Islamist
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Arson
  • Vandalism (all)
  • Vandalism of Public Christian Symbol
Religious Freedom / Discrimination
  • Censorship or Removal of Public Christian Symbols
Place of Incident
  • Public Street
Bias Indicators
  • Organized Hate Groups
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Response of Local Authorities
  • Investigated
Symbolic image; not a photograph of the reported incident.Image credit: Felipe Giacometti on Unsplash

On New Year's Eve, around 20-30 adolescents had gathered in Vienna, attacking shops, apartment balconies and other facilities on a public square with explosive pyrotechnical supplies. They also poured a diesel-gasoline mixture over a Christmas tree. Several trash cans flew against windows damaging the surrounding shop windows. "A Christmas tree has no place in a Muslim district, said one of the rioters," a member of the emergency services stated. The rioting mob also attacked the police officers by throwing firecrackers at them and shouting "Allahu Akbar"slogans. Four people were arrested immediately and the local government initiated a new security strategy for the area.

Sources