Another episode in the adventures of the new protected, privileged class in Europe.
“Widow on attack: ‘5 years imprisonment is ridiculous,'” translated from “Witwe über Attacke: ‘5 Jahre Haft sind lächerlich,'” Kronen Zeitung, August 9, 2020 (thanks to Medforth):
All Saints’ Day 2018: Together with her husband, Ms. S. is walking along Sonnleithnergasse in Vienna’s Favoriten district. A group of young people is standing in front of a mosque. As if out of nowhere, says Ms. S., a then 18-year-old kicked her husband in the stomach. The 67-year-old pensioner fell unluckily, with his head hitting the edge of the sidewalk. He finally succumbed to his injuries after several weeks in a coma. Now the widow and daughter are talking about the attack — the day when their husband and father disappeared from their lives forever. Both of them have turned their backs on their former home district of Favoriten forever.
All that remains are family albums, memories, cemetery visits and a lot of pain. It took a long time for Mrs. S. and her daughter to come to terms with the worst time of their lives. Since the attack, both have been under care and are slowly learning to appreciate life again. Mother and daughter are there for one another, stick together and comfort one another. Again and again during our conversation, both of them need a short break: handkerchiefs for the tears, a glass of water for the nerves.
“He only had gasps”
Ms. S. remembers the traumatic scene three years ago: “He was just gasping for breath, I screamed like a banshee. For three weeks, it was endless fear and hope. Then he died. He never woke up again, his brain was totally shattered. He was immediately brain dead. Actually, thank God he wasn’t aware of anything, he didn’t suffer. ”
Another adolescent was prevented from continuing the attack: “As if one were not enough,” said N. “It’s birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries that hurt very, very much. Dad is extremely absent,” says his daughter N. as she bursts into tears. She wears a ring that connects her to her father. “He is watching over us,” replies Ms. S. to her daughter. “If you kick someone in the stomach, you know that there is no air, no matter how strong and powerful you are, you fall over. Otherwise papa would have kept himself safe,” said N.
Mother and daughter advise caution
Since the mosque is under video surveillance by several cameras, the alleged perpetrators could be investigated three hours later. “You go out and a few hours later your life is completely different. It will never be the same again. Nobody can imagine that. Unfortunately, one should warn people today and say: ‘Please be quiet and don’t say anything, make sure you avoid getting in people’s way.'”
For Ms. S., the fact that the young people appeared in a group is a sign of “what cowards they are.” “Attacking small children, animals or older people is so lousy and unbelievable.” She is sure that if the main culprit had been alone, it would never have come to that. “The problem is, they always come in packs.”
“Five years imprisonment for a human life is ridiculous”
Both insisted that they not want to meet the perpetrators in court. “Five years imprisonment for a human life is ridiculous to me. But still: Even if he had gotten eight or ten years, my husband is dead. That is a fact and does not change anything. Life will punish him.”
The future will be hard, “but we are on a new path,” says daughter N. “The perpetrator was a special school student, did not learn anything, but did martial arts.” And: “You are not allowed to practice martial arts, except in (athletic) fights!” Bitter detail: since the perpetrator was also unemployed at the time of the incident, the family did not even receive compensation.
“I always said: I live in Little Anatolia”
For years, Ms. S. said to herself: “If I weren’t that old, I would move away from here.” The conditions around the Favoriten district have “worsened” more and more. “As a resident, you were almost exotic. I always said: I live in Little Anatolia! It’s actually that bad.” They sold the family apartment in Favoriten immediately; the pain that was associated with it was too strong.
Daughter N: “I was afraid of young men on the street when I was clearing the apartment. It happened to my husband, too. You just become very careful, you have respect,” says S. “The perpetrators lived only a few houses away from ours.”