Krauss and Tufegdzic: There is no place in Vienna for glorifying the KLA and symbols of ‘Greater Albania’

Nationalist territorial fantasies and the glorification of armed groups have no place in Vienna, said Maximilian Krauss, head of the Freedom Party (FPO) parliamentary group in the Vienna Assembly, and MP Ilija Tufegdzic, following yesterday's protest by the Albanian diaspora in the Austrian capital over the verdict against KLA leaders.

“Freedom of assembly is a precious value. However, what we firmly reject is the glorification of KLA symbols, the use of symbols representing the so-called ‘Greater Albania’, and the chanting of accompanying nationalist slogans in the very center of Vienna,” Krauss and Tufegdzic said in a statement.

They particularly criticized the fact that during the gathering at Heldenplatz, alongside Albanian and Kosovo flags, KLA flags and flags bearing the images of former KLA leaders who were convicted in The Hague were also displayed.

“According to media reports, flags featuring the motif of ‘Greater Albania’ could also be seen, and slogans were chanted. There is no place in Vienna for nationalist territorial fantasies and the glorification of armed groups. Anyone protesting in Austria has the right to criticize a court ruling. However, that right ends where other ethnic groups are intimidated, historical conflicts are glorified or extremist and irredentist messages are spread,” the two Freedom Party of Austria MPs said.

They stressed that a court ruling can be criticized, but that victims of war crimes must neither be mocked nor forgotten.

“That is precisely why we expect all political and social forces in Vienna to clearly distance themselves from the glorification of violence and fantastical territorial claims. Vienna must not become a stage for imported ethnic conflicts. Anyone who lives and protests here should be able to express their opinion freely – but at the same time, the democratic rule of law, human dignity and peaceful coexistence of all residents of Vienna must be respected,” Krauss and Tufegdzic stressed.

Albanians from Austria gathered yesterday in central Vienna to protest the verdict of the Specialist Chambers in The Hague against four KLA leaders.

At Heldenplatz, between the headquarters of the OSCE and the buildings housing the Austrian government and the President of Austria, Albanian and KLA flags predominated, along with Kosovo flags and those bearing the images of Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi, as well as KLA founder Adem Jashari. Flags of “Greater Albania” were also displayed, while those gathered sang about a “Greater Albania from Tirana to Bujanovac”.

Hashim Thaci and Jakup Krasniqi were sentenced on September 16, at first instance, to individual terms of 25 years in prison for war crimes. Kadri Veseli was sentenced to 18 years, and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years in prison.

The Trial Panel found Hashim Thaci, Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi, and Kadri Veseli guilty of war crimes committed against civilians and persons who were not actively participating in hostilities. According to the Panel's decision, they were found guilty of the war crime of arbitrary deprivation of liberty against 385 people, cruel treatment against 49 people, torture against 303 people and the war crime of murder against 96 people.