Zierfuß warns: Ignorance endangers Vienna's cohesion and integration!

Zierfuß warns: Ignorance endangers Vienna's cohesion and integration!

In Vienna, the debate about migration and integration has become increasingly heated in recent years. In view of the latest figures from the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF), it appears that around two thirds of the population find living together with Muslims to be problematic. This was discussed by the club chairman of the Vienna People's Party, Harald Zierfuß, who described the policies of the SPÖ mayor Michael Ludwig as ignorance. Zierfuß advocates that the real challenges in migration and integration must be openly identified in order not to jeopardize social cohesion, according to OTS.

A central point in this discussion is the school situation in Vienna. Over half of those starting school do not understand the lessons, which points to the language barriers faced by many migrant children. According to current data, 29.6% of young people under the age of 19 in Austria already have a migration background. In Vienna this proportion is an alarming 54.2%. This poses major challenges for schools, especially in districts like Favoriten, where 72% of students speak a non-German language. These developments require the city government to rethink its integration policy.

Students with a migrant background

The figures show that of the 518,400 young people in Vienna, around a third were born abroad. The largest group is Syrians with 28,503, followed by Ukrainians and Germans. In the 2024/25 school year, around 112,600 students attended public schools in Vienna, with 41.2% having an Islamic religious faith. In comparison, 34.5% identified themselves as Christians. This demographic development represents not only a challenge, but also an opportunity for the city to promote an inclusive society.

Zierfuß believes it is necessary for the political leadership of the SPÖ-Neos city government to pursue an integrative policy that not only relies on social benefits, but also sets clear requirements for migrants. Integration must be understood as active participation in social life, which also includes work, language skills and respect for state laws. He criticizes the fact that people who consciously distance themselves from society should have no place in Vienna.

In the past, there have already been 13,000 deportations this year, along with a stop to family reunification and the first returns to Syria and Afghanistan. These measures are intended to initiate a change in the trend in asylum policy. However, given the high number of students with a migrant background, Vienna needs measures to ensure social cohesion and to ensure that all students, regardless of their background, receive the best possible education.

According to the education server, the phenomenon of migration also includes the challenges of integration work in the education system. Measures that address the diverse educational needs of migrant children are therefore essential in order to create an inclusive society. It is crucial that both politics and society take the necessary steps to promote a positive culture of integration in order to meet the challenges of the future, as presented in Bildungsserver.