Justice Minister Alma Zadic (Greens) made the unveiling together with representatives of the Working Group of National Socialist Victims’ Associations and Resistance Fighters in Austria (ARGE). Previously, Zadic warned against forgetting: “We have to uphold our values and stand up for them.” Neo-Nazism must be resolutely counteracted.
This is a political, legal and moral obligation for the minister. “Resisting is a historical responsibility,” said Zadic. She also remembered the history of the Palace of Justice, and many women resistance fighters were sentenced to death there. The ministry said that around 600 people were tried. The memorial plaque now commemorates their “struggle for a free, independent Austria”.
Today, according to Zadic, the palace is a “place for law and the rule of law”, it would symbolize security and freedom. In conclusion, the Justice Minister confirmed the plans from the government program to tighten the prohibition law. This must “arrive in 2021.”
The ceremony was opened by Gerhard Kastelic, ARGE spokesman. He thanked Zadic and, for his part, remembered the “terrible times” of the Nazi regime. One is obliged to do memorial and remembrance work, the new plaque “is an essential step towards this.”
