49 Spring-Summer 2017 he International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IAJLJ) and Lansky, Ganzger & Partner Rechtsanwälte (LGP) organized the opening event of the Viennese Dialogue for the Protection of the Rule of Law at the Österreichische Kontrollbank (OeKB) on June 20, 2017. The Viennese Dialogue “Countering Antisemitism and Hate Crime in the Digital Age” followed up the conference organized by the IAJLJ and Tel Aviv University, supported by the Austrian Ministries of Internal Affairs and of Justice, in 2015. It has become a forum for the exchange of suitable instruments to combat antisemitism and hate crime. The aim of the event was to expand on the thought process which had successfully been initiated in 2015. About 70 guests had accepted the invitation for the dialogue, among them Austrian State Secretary Muna Duzdar and representatives of the Austrian Ministries of Interior and of Justice. Warning Words in the Run-up to Al-Quds Day “Hatred in words quickly turns to hatred in deeds. The internet has become a catalyst for hate speech. This is why we have to set a culture of togetherness against the culture of hatred,” said state secretary Muna Duzdar in her welcoming words. With her initiative against hate on the internet, she advocates for the education of so-called “digital ambassadors” to strengthen “digital moral courage” and would like to establish a central reporting point against hate on the internet. She would like to take a pioneering role in the EU. Michael Schwanda, Head of Sektion III, Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice (who attended the conference on behalf of the Minister of Justice, Wolfgang Brandstetter), presented the training program “Justice and History” for candidate judges. The compulsory curriculum provides for courses in the area of “knowledge about the NS era,” visiting memorials, in-depth symposia about contemporary history and discussions with contemporary witnesses. Peter Gridling, Director of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counter Terrorism (BVT), Austrian Ministry of Interior, presented statistics in the report on protection of the constitution, according to which the number of extremist actions has been continuously on the rise for years. “The flow of refugees has unsettled a lot of people in Austria, the number of xenophobic offences has tripled.” In view of this development, Gridling was less confident than the State Secretary and demanded that politics should strongly advocate for prevention and raising awareness within the civil population. Offenders are Often Not Aware of the Implications of Their Crimes on the Internet According to the host, Gerald Ganzger, who as a lawyer is regularly involved in proceedings regarding antisemitism and hate crime, the prevention of antisemitism and hate crime called for general as well as specific deterrence. Offenders must be deterred from future criminal acts, hate crime on the internet must be outlawed beyond mere criminal prosecution. “Hate crimes on the internet are no mere trivial offences. This message must be communicated to society via the media.” Combat Zone Internet and Appeal for Paradigm Shift in Europe “Due to the progressive development of digitalization, a new scene for antisemitism and hate crime has been set” is the central finding of the President of the Jewish Community (IKG), Oskar Deutsch. The latest events in the academic sector (antisemitic chat-groups by students) had shown: “Antisemitism is neither tied to a specific agegroup nor to a social class. Therefore, the key to breaking the respective stereotypes lies in working with young people. Digital media play an important role here. We ought to be ready to enter into a dialogue with our fellow human beings, but we should also be consequent in case of offences” said Oskar Deutsch at the Viennese Dialogue for the Protection of the Rule of Law. Ariel Muzicant, honorary president of the Austrian Jewish Community (IKG) and vice-president of the European-Jewish Congress (EJC), urged politicians to show more courage. “You cannot convince people with philanthropic initiatives. We have to pull out all the stops in order to preserve and protect European values. This requires a paradigm shift, because there can be no space for extremism in Europe.” ’’Antisemitism and Hate Crime in the Digital Age’’ Conference in Vienna T Reviewed by Julia Andras
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