The Palais Trautson radiates from the outside of Vienna’s magnificent, and the interior is in need of modernization. If Alma Zadic, Austria’s first green Minister of justice, leads you through their offices, it speaks immediately of what you would change here, liked everything: the curtains in the Blue room, the Seating furniture from the seventies in your office. The 35-year-old Minister and former attorney-at-law also wants to reform the content of a lot – but the first few weeks in office were anything but easy.
woman Zadic, when you took up your office in the beginning of January, they received threats, hate messages, and murder, just because you, as the first Minister of Austria from a migrant background. Had you expected that?
I did not expect this wave of hatred – this is the incredible amount of death threats and racist Under attack, this propaganda. But what I also did not expect, is solidarity. I still get messages where people say: “Madam Minister, we are behind you, don’t let it catch up to, Austria is so.”
the Latter one has heard quite often in recent times. But where does this hatred comes against a Minister, who had to flee as a child, before the war in Bosnia?
The hate is just fueled by a small group that is noisy and also dangerous. The solidarity comes from all over Austria, and from different parties. For these people it is also that I need personal protection.
still?
Unfortunately.
you are in need of personal protection, located in Hanau, Germany, a right to bring extremist nine people with a migration background. Our society is moving in the wrong direction?
It shows what the vile acts of hatred, incitement and racism can. As a society, we can decide in which direction we go. We must work to ensure that everyone, no matter where they come from or what Religion you belong to. No one should have to fear to go into a hookah Bar.
What consequences would you draw from this politically?
We need to prevent the spread of racism, especially on the Internet. On Social Media platforms to spread and intensify rapidly. And then it is only a matter of time until the from words to deeds.
And personally, from the attacks on your Person?
It is always difficult to be the First with an immigrant background. But eventually that will be the norm, at least I hope.
“In a government it no longer the land of plenty-can write proposals, but will have to compromise.”
The ÖVP is striking again and again with claims that fall within their area, for example, the backup stick, so a preventive detention for potentially dangerous asylum seekers. How do you position yourself?
The ÖVP was that detention is important. We have agreed in the government programme, but the fact that such a detention with the Constitution, human rights and EU law must conform to.
Can you imagine a backup stick that meets these three criteria?
There are different positions of the experts, you would have to work out. This is perhaps also the green handwriting in the government programme, which we have secured to us that any Change must be based, especially in the criminal law of evidence.
The ÖVP also wants a ban on the transfer of files from criminal proceedings to journalists – is a fundamental part of investigative work.
The subject was in the negotiations, but was explicitly rejected by us. So it’s not going to come.
Nevertheless, to be sprinkled on such claims again and again, the ÖVP seems to happen more often to enforce, especially in the public perception. It is difficult to claim itself as Green in this coalition?
We are only a total of four Ministers, we are the smaller Partner. However, the ministries in Austria are organized in a mono-empowered to take, with the Minister, the Minister as instruction tip, and we are quite confident in our office. There is no policy competence, such as in Germany, where the Chancellor can grab.
White is the Chancellor for a moment?
Yes, the white of the Chancellor. We also have a 330-page government program, in the very many points, we have brought to the Green by. I am going to work steadfastly to the things I have planned: in the area of transparency, the fight against corruption, strengthening the Prosecutor’s office, or in the case of hatred in the network. But if I’m honest: We Greens need to work on our communication, because the ÖVP has a head start.
“We can be an example of how to deal respectfully with people who have a different opinion than yourself.”
The ÖVP has a well-oiled apparatus and a lot of government experience.
And we are Green, Yes, for the first Time in a government. You can’t write more as in Opposition to its land of plenty-applications, but will have to compromise.
however, It has geholpert already in the first weeks of the coalition neat. You can go to the five years?
I am very confident that it will be good to go. But of course it is very different parties pursue different goals. There is an intersection that can be found in the government programme. In order to get through it, we need but probably more than five years.
So, you want to govern for ten years with Sebastian Kurz ?
We have made at least some of it. It is, of course, a novelty in Europe that so many different parties to form a coalition with each other. However, I find it perfectly fine, if you rated things differently. I haven’t abandoned my ideological access with the Minister, just as Sebastian Kurz. Maybe we can exemplify how to deal respectfully with people who have a different opinion than you.
Could this be a model for other countries?
I think so. Finally, it is observed everywhere that the companies are drifting apart. The election results in Europe show that especially the right-wing conservative parties, but also the Green. Our task will be to prove that you can beat between these two poles, a bridge.
Created: 06.03.2020, 06:32 PM
