Turkish genocide denier
stands for Christian democratic party in Vienna. Only symbolising that Catholicism is a busted flush in European politics. As I have said in another place, when the Catholic centre fails in European politics, sooner or later all hell breaks loose.
Originally published on 18 October 2006 by Die Presse in German
Vienna -- On Tuesday [ 17 October] afternoon, the statement was still on the homepage of the Austrian People's Party (OeVP) of Vienna, but was immediately removed when Die Presse inquired about it. The point at issue is an election campaign poster of Mustafa Iscel, OeVP District councilor of Favoriten, in Turkish that read: "When you do not want the genocide of the Armenians recognized -- vote OeVP!" Iscel ran as a candidate in the Nationalrat election on the list of the OeVP. He told Die Presse that he had produced the posters himself and offered them to be hung in Turkish coffee houses and restaurants, for example.
Many cbuntries would recognize the genocide without knowing anything about history, his complaint is. 'This is for historians to decide." For Iscel, however, current research is only "one-sided." "There were no mass killings. These were resettlements, because it was war, and people died of diseases and other adverse conditions."
Had no one in the OeVP asked for a translation or complained about the content? "No." The 36-year-ofd engineer, who has been working as district councilor since 2005, calling himself a "liberal conservative," believes to follow the party line: 'The OeVP prevented in 1999 that the issue was discussed in parliament."
The OeVP in Vienna is deeply embarrassed. OeVP Vienna branch managing director Norbert Walther is surprised, admitting, "I see the poster for the first time/' but also notes with relief: "It carries the federal logo." And how could it find its way onto the official homeppge? "This is the job of our media advisors."
Alfred Hoch, party chairman of the district of Favoriten, says: "This has not been agreed beforehand. I knew that Iscel had his own campaign poster; he showed it to me, and the layout was all right. I therefore assumed that what it says is what we can support." Hoch stressed that Iscel had been an excellent district councilor, always following the OeVP line, "He also financed the poster himself." He had not found it annoying that it was only in Turkish, "We
want to reach out to Turkish immigrants."
Only recently, three politicians of Turkish descent were struck from the list of candidates running in the parliamentary election in the Netherlands - because they had denied the genocide of the Armenians. For Tessa Hofmann, a German expert on Armenia, the case in Vienna is a novelty: "We have repeatedly had candidates who share such a conception of history. Yet we have never had a case where this was an election campaign promise."
Originally published on 18 October 2006 by Die Presse in German
Vienna -- On Tuesday [ 17 October] afternoon, the statement was still on the homepage of the Austrian People's Party (OeVP) of Vienna, but was immediately removed when Die Presse inquired about it. The point at issue is an election campaign poster of Mustafa Iscel, OeVP District councilor of Favoriten, in Turkish that read: "When you do not want the genocide of the Armenians recognized -- vote OeVP!" Iscel ran as a candidate in the Nationalrat election on the list of the OeVP. He told Die Presse that he had produced the posters himself and offered them to be hung in Turkish coffee houses and restaurants, for example.
Many cbuntries would recognize the genocide without knowing anything about history, his complaint is. 'This is for historians to decide." For Iscel, however, current research is only "one-sided." "There were no mass killings. These were resettlements, because it was war, and people died of diseases and other adverse conditions."
Had no one in the OeVP asked for a translation or complained about the content? "No." The 36-year-ofd engineer, who has been working as district councilor since 2005, calling himself a "liberal conservative," believes to follow the party line: 'The OeVP prevented in 1999 that the issue was discussed in parliament."
The OeVP in Vienna is deeply embarrassed. OeVP Vienna branch managing director Norbert Walther is surprised, admitting, "I see the poster for the first time/' but also notes with relief: "It carries the federal logo." And how could it find its way onto the official homeppge? "This is the job of our media advisors."
Alfred Hoch, party chairman of the district of Favoriten, says: "This has not been agreed beforehand. I knew that Iscel had his own campaign poster; he showed it to me, and the layout was all right. I therefore assumed that what it says is what we can support." Hoch stressed that Iscel had been an excellent district councilor, always following the OeVP line, "He also financed the poster himself." He had not found it annoying that it was only in Turkish, "We
want to reach out to Turkish immigrants."
Only recently, three politicians of Turkish descent were struck from the list of candidates running in the parliamentary election in the Netherlands - because they had denied the genocide of the Armenians. For Tessa Hofmann, a German expert on Armenia, the case in Vienna is a novelty: "We have repeatedly had candidates who share such a conception of history. Yet we have never had a case where this was an election campaign promise."
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