Attack on food inspector: “FPÖ obviously has an acute aggression problem”

The incident is said to have occurred on Thursday afternoon at a business owner’s business (the OÖNachrichten reported). The inspector had checked because “catering activities and a large gathering of people were evident” and the business owner is actually known as a showman. During the conversation with the business’s manager, a local politician from the FPÖ came over and “loudly shouted at” the inspector and physically attacked him, “without him even being able to explain the situation”. This is according to an email from the state veterinary director Thomas Hain to the state office director Thomas Schäffer and to the responsible state councilor Stefan Kaineder (Greens), which is available to the OÖN.

• More on this: FPÖ local politician allegedly physically attacked food inspector (OÖNplus)

The supervisory body was “promoted out of the company premises” and had difficulty “not falling over the entrance steps”. After consultation with Hain, the decision was made together with the inspector to abort the inspection.

FP state party secretary Michael Gruber confirmed to the OÖN yesterday that he was present at the event. He was standing in front of the company together with other people, but only heard a verbal argument before the inspector left the company: “I was standing in front of the company and I and others heard that it was getting louder.”

“Behavior unacceptable”

The state’s human resources department is outraged by the incident against the colleague from the food inspection agency. Such behavior is always to be rejected and unacceptable in a constitutional state, said chairman Peter Csar in a press release on Friday. “This behavior towards state employees in fulfilling their legal duties demands at least a public apology.”

In addition, such behavior should also be examined under criminal law. Because: “The fact that the aggression came from a public figure is particularly serious.”

“I condemn this incident in the strongest possible terms. Attacking people in the course of their professional activities, both verbally and physically, is disrespectful and must not go without consequences. It is important to me to vehemently support the employees in food inspection who, every day, work with great dedication and expertise to ensure that we have safe food on the table both at home and outside the home,” said State Councilor Stefan Kaineder (Greens) on Friday.

“FPÖ obviously has an acute aggression problem”

The alleged physical attack by an FP official on a state employee in the exercise of his duties must be “a wake-up call,” said Green Party parliamentary group leader Severin Mayr in a written response: “Respect for the work of public sector employees and protection from attacks must have top priority. Such incidents must be clearly punished.”

He is not surprised: “The FPÖ consistently stirs up aggression against public institutions on social media, which it defames as a ‘system’ that must be fought. It is downright proud of its aggressive and aggressive rhetoric. It is a dangerous development that this is now apparently leading to employees of the state of Upper Austria being physically attacked by an FPÖ official while they are at work.”

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