Austria’s far-right Freedom Party candidate for president has called for an investigation on Turkish residents who took to the streets of the capital Vienna in the wake of the July 15 failed coup attempt in Turkey.
In an interview with the daily Österreich, Norbert Hofer called Aug. 14 for an investigation into Turkish residents who crowded Vienna streets with Turkish flags to support democracy in Turkey and stand against a coup attempt to topple the Turkish government.
Tensions between Austria – where around 300,000 people of Turkish origin live – and Turkey were raised last month when the mayor of Wiener Neustadt, around 50 kilometers south of Vienna, called for the removal of Turkish flags hung by residents on their flat’s windows and balconies celebrating the defeat of the July 15 coup attempt.
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz has also spoken out against “importing the political conflict to Austria” following demonstrations in support of Turkish democracy.
Hofer added he was concerned that numerous Turks had Austrian citizenship. Austrian law imposes strict restrictions on dual citizenship.
