Islamist Attacker Targeted President of The Synagogue, LGBT Association, and Church in Graz
On August 22nd, a 31-year-old man from Syria with Islamist motivations violently attacked the president of the Jewish community in Graz, Elie Rosen, with the leg of a chair. Following his capture, he also admitted vandalism attacks on the synagogue, the facilities of LGBT association RosaLila PantherInnen, and a brothel. He is responsible for smearing several walls in Graz with pro-Palestinian paroles and symbols and spraying symbols on a church. The Austrian media reported that the motives were anti-Semitism, homophobia, and rejection of Austrian society, but did not mention that his anti-Christian motives.
Numerous data carriers were found in the offender's apartment and evidence suggests that he may have radical Islamist and terrorist motives. Proceedings regarding the withdrawal of his asylum status were initiated.
Austrian Minister of the Interior, Karl Nehammer, stated at a press conference on August 24: "The perpetrator rejects the society in Austria, he is a radical Islamist and anti-Semite, who is homophobic on top." However, it was not mentioned that his Islamist convictions may include hostility towards Christianity as well. News articles briefly mentioned that a church had been sprayed with symbols, but no further information was provided which would have allowed identification of the church and the scope of the damage.
A phone call undertaken by the Observatory on September 23 confirmed that the act concerned the Welsche Kirche, a Catholic Church in Gries, the 5th municipal district of Graz. The attacker had painted illegible symbols on the church facade, which matched the scribbles on other walls across town.
Sources: ORF, Der Standard
Symbolic Photo by Victoria Strukovskaya on Unsplash