“I do not want to bring this sick ideology into Europe,” Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, concerned about the spread of extremist Islamist views in Europe, told German daily Bild in an interview.
Kurz made it clear in a newspaper interview that the deportation of Afghan refugees from Austria would continue despite the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. The Austrian chancellor made these statements just days after Angela Merkel had expressed a similar view, adding that he fears that the 2015 refugee crisis will recur due to a new wave of Afghans, and that for this reason he expects urgent action from the EU.
Kurz said that in order to prevent a repeat of what happened six years ago, the Austrian government will continue to deport Afghans even if Afghanistan comes under Taliban rule. The Austrian chancellor justified his decision by saying that the civilian population could go to safe, government-controlled areas of Afghanistan instead of European states such as Germany, Austria, and Sweden, as well as to neighboring countries and even Turkey.
“We, the European Union, need to take steps this summer to prevent another migrant crisis like 2015 from erupting,” Kurz said, adding that the problems of Afghanistan will not be solved by accommodating civilians fleeing the Taliban to reside in either Austria or Germany.
The Austrian politician also spoke of the danger of an increase in violent crime with the influx of Afghan refugees. According to Kurz, Austrian crime statistics show the authorities now have to deal with cases that were unprecedented before the large influx of migrants, and the figures for certain crimes, such as violence against women and other violent crimes, show an increasing trend.
Kurz clarified that not all refugees are the same; some of them are easily and well integrated, but there are also those who come to the continent who do not agree with European values, such as the promotion of women’s rights. The politician recalled that, in late June, a 13-year-old girl in Vienna was given drugs by Afghan migrants, one 16 years old and one 18 years old, who subsequently raped and murdered the Austrian youth. According to the chancellor, the security situation across Europe has deteriorated due to the large influx of migrants.
Title image: Migrants arriving into Austria. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
