Riots in Linz: Karner wants deportations

He said to the APA that all residence permits of third-country nationals would also be checked accordingly. In the case of serious criminal offenses, there should be deportations outside the country. In addition, the Federal Office for Immigration is instructed to examine whether the asylum status of perpetrators should be revoked. In the medium term, Karner wants to deport him to Syria and Afghanistan.

After the riots on the night of November 1, which Karner calls an “organized hate event,” including attacks against the police, 129 suspects were identified. Among them are 35 persons entitled to asylum and five asylum seekers. In the case of the latter group, the Minister of the Interior assumes that their asylum procedure will be discontinued. In addition, Karner has suggested to the responsible authorities that the quintet be divided up and relocated.

To ensure that all authorities concerned are informed and coordinated accordingly, the head of department instructed the Upper Austrian state police director to set up a task force with all those involved. In addition to the State Criminal Police Office and the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, this should include the responsible immigration and residence authorities (municipal authorities, district authorities), but also the youth authorities.

This is to ensure that all legal options are exhausted to end the residence status. Of course, the suspects are a heterogeneous group. This also includes twelve EU citizens, 24 persons with a permanent residence permit, six persons entitled to subsidiary protection and 46 Austrian citizens.

Among the countries of origin, after the Austrians, of whom the police indicate a migration background in 34, Syrians with 28 and Afghans with 14 are most strongly represented. According to the authorities, Serbs, Kosovars, North Macedonians, Romanians, Thais and Bosnians also took part in the riots.

Afghans and Syrians cannot de facto be deported at the moment, the interior minister concedes, but he wants to achieve changes here at EU level. “In the medium term,” he says, refugees can be sent back to some regions of Syria. This could also be possible again for men in Afghanistan. Karner points out that 29 Afghans and 48 Syrians have left the country so far this year.