Austria Expels 3,000 Refugees Over False Nationalities
KABUL: (MEP) Austrian police announced Wednesday that they have turned away some 3,000 refugees in the past 20 days over ‘false’ nationalities.
“The development is due to more intensive controls at border points with Slovenia, from where about 3,000 migrants a day cross into Austria.” Police spokesman Rainer Dionisio said.
According to Dionisio, those claiming to have come from war-torn countries including Syria, Iraq and other flashpoints in the Middle East, were questioned to be checked for their accents. Those who are turned back, including Moroccans, Algerians and other nationals making false claims.
Meanwhile, an Austrian bar owner said on Wednesday she had banned “all asylum-seekers”, sparking strong criticism from human rights groups.
Slamming the ban as racist, Austrian rights groups said this highlighted an important loophole in Austria’s legal system.
“Inciting hatred against ‘foreigners’ is illegal, but using the term ‘refugee’ or ‘asylum-seeker’ in a discriminatory way is not an offence under current sedition laws,” explained Christina Schaefer of the ZARA initiative, which provides legal support to victims of racist attacks.
“We’ve been lobbying for ages to get this changed as it can leave people very vulnerable,” she told AFP.
On the other hand, Austrian police say Germany has returned about 200 migrants trying to transit from Austria over the past few weeks for lack of valid documents or because they were seeking asylum in other EU countries.
A key international monitor says migration to Europe is keeping up its high pace this year with more than 23,000 people reaching Greece and Italy via the Mediterranean already this month.
