Jewish cemetery desecrated in Steyr, Austria

Austrian Mauthausen Committee condemns ‘despicable act’

Jewish community calls for increased security

A Jewish cemetery in the Austrian city of Steyr has been desecrated, with several tombstones damaged and swastikas spray-painted on the walls.

The desecration was discovered on Sunday morning by a member of the Jewish community, who alerted the police.

The Austrian Mauthausen Committee, which represents survivors of the Nazi concentration camp, condemned the attack as a "despicable act".

"This desecration is a reminder of the ongoing threat to Jewish communities in Austria and across Europe," said Willi Mernyi, the committee's president.

The Jewish community in Steyr has called for increased security at the cemetery, which is located in a public park.

"We are deeply shocked and saddened by this attack," said Erich Schwarz, the president of the Jewish community in Steyr.

"We urge the authorities to do everything in their power to find and prosecute those responsible," he said.

The desecration of the Steyr Jewish cemetery is the latest in a series of anti-Semitic incidents in Austria in recent years.

In 2019, a synagogue in Vienna was attacked by a gunman, who killed four people.

In 2020, a Jewish cemetery in Vienna was desecrated, with several tombstones damaged.

The Austrian government has condemned the recent anti-Semitic incidents and has pledged to take action to protect Jewish communities.

However, Jewish leaders in Austria have said that more needs to be done to combat anti-Semitism.

"We need to see more education about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism in schools and in the media," said Mernyi.

"We also need to see more police protection for Jewish communities," he said.