Austria: Jewish leaders mull lifting ban of far-right party

JTA reports:

Heinz-Christian Strache

Leaders of Austria’s Jewish community said they are willing to normalize ties with the far-right- Freedom Party, which they have previously shunned because of some party members’ Nazi sympathies.

Oscar Deutsch, the president of the Jewish Community in Vienna, and his predecessor, Ariel Muzicant, told the nrg news site they have put together a plan of action for the Freedom Party to implement if it seeks to establish formal contact with the community, the news site reported Friday.

Last month, Freedom Party’s presidential candidate lost the election’s second and final round by less than a percent of the vote. In its journey from a fringe movement 15 years ago to a mainstream party, the Freedom Party, which opposes immigration from Muslim countries, has sought to downplay its racist and anti-Semitic reputation.

Jorg Haider, the party’s previous leader, praised Nazi employment policies and the Waffen-SS. The current leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, apologized in 2012 for posting on Facebook a caricature depicting an obese, hook-nosed banker wearing star-shaped cufflinks.

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