Austrian Chancellor: Radical Groups in Turkey Threaten Me with Death

Amid escalating tensions between Turkey and the European Union, Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern announced that radical groups in Turkey have threatened him with death through online messages, adding that he will not succumb to these "intimidations." In an interview with Austrian media on Tuesday, August 2, Kern stated, "We must not allow fear and terror to dominate us in any way. The threat, even death threats, from the far-right and radical factions within the Turkish community has become a reality for me." These "threats" follow Kern's recent comments on two issues related to Turkey: one regarding visa-free travel for Turkish citizens to Europe, and the other concerning the demonstrations of supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Austria. Earlier this year, Turkey and the EU signed an agreement in which Turkey committed to keeping more refugees bound for the EU on its territory, in exchange for the EU agreeing to grant Turkish citizens visa-free access to the Schengen area once Turkey fulfills 72 conditions set by the EU. Currently, while EU officials state that Turkey has not yet fully met the agreed conditions, including reforms to anti-terrorism laws, Turkey has set a deadline for the EU regarding the Schengen visa waiver. Turkish officials have announced that if the Schengen visa law for Turkish citizens is not lifted within a few months, they will "tear up" their agreement with the EU regarding refugees. In response to this threat from Turkey, Kern stated that they should not allow Turkey to "bully us." He mentioned that "we need Turkey, but economically, it is Turkey that truly needs us," adding that "otherwise, Turkey is heading towards bankruptcy." The failed coup in Turkey has also raised issues regarding how to hold large demonstrations of Erdoğan's supporters in Germany and Austria, both of which have significant Turkish citizen populations. On Sunday, about 40,000 Erdoğan supporters protested in Cologne, Germany. However, a German court rejected the demonstrators' request to broadcast Erdoğan's speech live during the Cologne demonstration, which provoked a negative reaction from the Turkish president. Erdoğan remarked on Friday evening, "Look at Austria. Look at Germany. Our citizens want to gather and protest, but they are being stopped. It has even reached the point where they are not allowing the Turkish flag to be raised in homes." In Austria, the mayor of the small city of Wiener Neustadt requested on July 22 that the large Turkish minority living in the city refrain from displaying Turkish flags on their balconies, although no law prohibiting this has been enacted, and no action has been taken against it. Kern also commented on this issue, stating, "We must stop the policy of appeasement. Undoubtedly, everyone has the right to protest here, but the radical elements within the Turkish community must learn to respect our way of life."