Hasted crosses on rainbow zebra crossing: Police investigated in Dornbirn

Hasted crosses on rainbow zebra crossing: Police investigated in Dornbirn

Dornbirn, Österreich - In Dornbirn, a current incident of property damage was observed, which attracts great attention in the city. A rainbow zebra crossing, which is considered a symbol of social diversity, was spoiled with swastika graffiti between Saturday at 10:00 p.m. and Sunday at 6:45 p.m. The city police have now started the investigation and asks the population for clues to the unknown perpetrators who are responsible for this racist act, such as [Kleine Zeitung.at] (https://www.kleinezeitung.at/service/newsticker/chronik/19728870/hakenkreuze-zebrastreifen-in- dornbirn)) reported.

According to the first reports, this is a clear form of re -actuation according to the prohibition law, which is asserted in Austria. The shaped zebra crossing is located in the area of ​​Moosmahdstraße and Bahnhofstrasse.

public reaction to the incident

The city of Dornbirn immediately reported the incident, which underlines the seriousness of the property damage. Since this zebra crossing represents a publicly visible sign of diversity, the outrage in the community is correspondingly great. In this case, the police actively investigate to find the perpetrators and to pursue this criminal offense, as vorarlberg.orf.at

The prejudices that are behind such an act are not new. According to bmi.gv.at, a total of 5,464 prejudice -motivated crimes were registered in Austria in 2021. Most of these crimes took place in urban areas such as Vienna, Upper Austria and Lower Austria. The motif of the worldview plays the most common role and thus leads the list of prejudices recorded.

It can be seen alarming that such obvious hate symbols also appear in public space. The police reconnaissance rate for HATE Crimes is 68.8 percent, which shows that the authorities are actively working on the persecution of these cases. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner emphasizes the importance of the structured recording of such crimes for democratic coexistence. The police have been trained in the detection and recording of prejudice motifs since August 2020 to enable targeted control of hate crimes.

With increasing sensitivity in society, the authorities can expect that such a crime will not be unpunished. The incident in Dornbirn could be a turn in dealing with prejudices and hate crimes, since the police statistics are considered important for the analysis of social fracture lines.