Slovenia summons Austrian ambassador

The Foreign Ministry of Slovenia has summoned the Austrian ambassador to Slovenia over Sunday's police raid on a Slovenian anti-fascist youth camp held in Austria. In the meeting, Slovenia expressed its expectation that Austria will promptly, transparently and thoroughly investigate the incident, the ministry said.

The ministry expressed concern that the Austrian police had failed to respect the principle of proportionality in using force while raiding the anti-fascist youth camp, CE Report quotes STA.

It announced that it will send a diplomatic note to the Austrian Foreign Ministry.

"The event reminds us of the fragility of coexistence in ethnically mixed areas, which demands particular sensitivity and prudence, as well as constant engagement from all holders of authority and society as a whole."

The ministry also wrote that Slovenia remains ready to continue developing cooperation with Austria based on mutual respect and commitment to shared European values.

The camp was organised by a Vienna-based club of Slovenian students at one of the key memorial sites dedicated to the Slovenian ethnic minority in the Austrian federal state of Carinthia - the Peršman Museum in Eisenkappel were Nazis killed two ethnic Slovenian families in WWII.

The police listed three reasons for the intervention: alleged administrative infractions related to camping and nature protection, and suspicion that the anti-fascist camp constituted an immoral attitude to the memorial site.

The Slovenian government called on Austrian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the police raid earlier in the day with Minister for Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon expressing shock and concern over the incident, which he labelled "deeply disturbing".

"We expect both the federal chancellor and the governor of Carinthia to publicly take a stance on it," he said in a statement circulated by the Government Communication Office (UKOM).

"The fact that 30 armed police officers with dogs, a helicopter and drones arrived at a student camp over suspected administrative offences raises serious doubts about the proportionality of the police response," Arčon said.

The incident is profoundly traumatic for members of the Slovenian minority in Austria, with whom the Slovenian government remains in close contact.

The minister also said the government supports the ethnic minority's calls to both federal and regional Austrian authorities to thoroughly investigate the raid.

He moreover emphasised that Slovenia expects Austria to respond to the incident in a mature manner and in line with European democratic standards.

"If it is confirmed that there was an abuse of power and excessive use of force, we expect appropriate consequences for those responsible," he said.

Arčon said it was particularly worrying that one of the reasons for the raid was the anti-fascist camp being inappropriate for the memorial site.

"This kind of assessment, made despite the museum's support for the event and despite the presence of descendants of anti-Nazi fighters and victims, raises serious questions about the understanding of historical education and commemorative practices," reads UKOM's statements.

The government thus expects Austria to enable an independent clarification of the incident, explain the reasons for initiating the police raid, and ensure that any proceedings against organisers and participants respect the rule of law and sensitivity to the historical and cultural significance of the site and its community.

Governor of Carinthia Peter Kaiser has already responded to the incident, announcing that once the anti-fascist camp is over he will invite for a meeting representatives of the museum, the office for the protection of the constitution, regional police and the municipality.

"Although I'm not yet familiar with all the details surrounding today's police operation at the Peršman Homestead, I urge all parties involved to engage in dialogue and cooperation," Kaiser said on Sunday evening.

He was also quoted by Austrian press agency APA as saying that "the Peršman Homestead is a place of remembrance, a site that must remind us that hatred and violence have no place in our society".

Carinthia's regional police, which has come under fire for the incident, has meanwhile announced a comprehensive analysis into the raid, reported the Austrian public broadcaster ORF.

Apart from Arčon, who comes from the largest ruling coalition party, the Freedom Movement, the police raid was condemned by the junior coalition parties, the Social Democrats (SD) and the Left.

The SD expects the Austrian authorities to immediately clarify all circumstances that led to what it described as an unacceptable and exaggerate measure.

The Left meanwhile labelled the raid as a blow to the memory of the victims of Nazism. It wrote that "such conduct by the authorities demonstrates a complete disregard and lack of sensitivity to the historically sensitive context, and calls for a serious talk with the Austrian embassy and a clear response at the bilateral level".