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Asylum seekers will be forced to hand over cash and mobile phones under tough new rules unveiled by Austria’s new far-right coalition

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–Freedom Party’s coalition with conservatives in Austria was agreed on Friday
–Coalition will be led by world’s youngest leader Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, 31
–More than 2,000 took part in protests yesterday amid heavy police presence
–Asylum seekers may have to hand over cash and phones under new set of rules

Asylum seekers will be forced to hand over their cash and mobile phones under a raft of tough new measures proposed by Austria’s new far-right coalition.

The country’s new government has pledged to stop illegal immigration, cut taxes and resist EU centralisation, and will be led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, at 31 the world’s youngest leader.

Kurz’s conservative People’s Party (OeVP) and the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) were sworn in yesterday amid protests in Vienna.

Under plans unveiled by the coalition, future migrants coming to the country will have their cash impounded if filing for asylum in Austria. The money would then be used to cover the legal costs of their procedures.

Austria's new government has pledged to stop illegal immigration, cut taxes and resist EU centralisation, and will be led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, at 31 the world's youngest leader. He is pictured yesterday with his girlfriend Susanne after being sworn in at a ceremony in Vienna

Austria’s new government has pledged to stop illegal immigration, cut taxes and resist EU centralisation, and will be led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, at 31 the world’s youngest leader. He is pictured yesterday with his girlfriend Susanne after being sworn in at a ceremony in Vienna

Under plans unveiled by the coalition, future migrants coming to the country will have their cash impounded if filing for asylum in Austria. The money would then be used to cover the legal costs of their procedures

Under plans unveiled by the coalition, future migrants coming to the country will have their cash impounded if filing for asylum in Austria. The money would then be used to cover the legal costs of their procedures

Asylum seekers will also be forced to hand over their mobile phones to the authorities, which will read out all data to track their true identity and exact travel route, according to Austrian media.

The coalition’s programme calls for a halt to ‘illegal immigration’ and to speed up the asylum process to deport those who are not accepted. Asylum is ‘temporary protection’ only.

Those ‘refusing to integrate must expect sanctions’ and ‘parallel societies’ must be prevented.

There will also be a stop to ‘immigration into the social system’. Monthly payments to those with asylum and subsidiary protection will be cut to 365 euros plus an ‘integration bonus’ of 155 euros.

‘We want to protect our homeland Austria as a liveable place with all its cultural assets. This includes deciding for ourselves who can immigrate and live with us and ending illegal immigration,’ the plans state.

Last night, the United Nations’ human right’s chief has warned that the far-right tilt of Austria’s new coalition government marks a ‘dangerous development’ in Europe.

Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he is ‘very worried’ about the surge of the far right,  and cautioned against ‘the peddling of fear’ in European politics.

As Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was sworn into power in Vienna yesterday, more than 2,000 people took part in demonstrations, brandishing placards such as ‘refugees welcome’ and ‘Nazis out’ and ‘No Nazi pigs’,

Austria's far-Right Freedom Party has been sworn in to power with the country's new conservative leader Sebastian Kurz, 31. He is pictured with his girlfriend Susanne Thier arriving for the inauguration in Vienna

Austria’s far-Right Freedom Party has been sworn in to power with the country’s new conservative leader Sebastian Kurz, 31. He is pictured with his girlfriend Susanne Thier arriving for the inauguration in Vienna

Warning: Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he is 'very worried' about the surge of the far right in Austria

Warning: Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he is ‘very worried’ about the surge of the far right in Austria

Anger: More than 2,000 people took part in demonstrations this morning, brandishing placards such as 'refugees welcome' and 'Nazis out' and 'No Nazi pigs'

Anger: More than 2,000 people took part in demonstrations this morning, brandishing placards such as ‘refugees welcome’ and ‘Nazis out’ and ‘No Nazi pigs’

Prince al-Hussein said that Kurz’s decision to take hard-right position on things like immigration to gain support marked ‘a dangerous development in the political life of Europe.’

The coalition between Kurz’s conservative People’s Party (OeVP) and the far-Right Freedom Party was agreed on Friday along with pledges to stop illegal immigrationand resist EU centralisation.

It will be led by Kurz, who took over the OeVP in May and moved it to the right, securing his party first place in October elections. At 31, Kurz will be the world’s youngest leader.

He said the new Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s decision to take hard-right position on things like immigration to gain support marked ‘a dangerous development in the political life of Europe.’

A heavy police presence of about 1,500 officers, with helicopters overhead and water-cannon trucks at the ready, blocked off the area around the Hofburg palace.

Austrian president Alexander van der Bellen (right) and head of the People's Party Sebastian Kurz (left) sign contracts during the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Vienna

Austrian president Alexander van der Bellen (right) and head of the People’s Party Sebastian Kurz (left) sign contracts during the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Vienna

The coalition will be led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (right), who took over the OeVP in May and moved it to the right, securing his party first place in October elections. At 31, Kurz will be the world's youngest leader

The coalition will be led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (right), who took over the OeVP in May and moved it to the right, securing his party first place in October elections. At 31, Kurz will be the world’s youngest leader

At one point police fired a smoke grenade when some protestors tried to break through a barricade.

At Kurz’s side for the investiture by Austria’s president in the Hapsburg dynasty’s imperial palace in Vienna was FPOe chief Heinz-Christian Strache, 48, now vice-chancellor, and FPOe general secretary Herbert Kickl, the new interior minister.

Strache has said Islam ‘has no place in Europe’ and last year called German Chancellor Angela Merkel ‘the most dangerous woman in Europe’ for her open-door refugee policy.

On Sunday, Strache trumpeted to his 750,000 followers on Facebook that the new government would slash social benefits for asylum-seekers.

‘It will no longer happen that migrants who have never worked here a single day or paid anything into the social system will get thousands of euros in welfare!’ he said in a post that has gained 9,000 ‘likes’.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (left) stands next to vice-chancellor of the far-right Freedom Party Christian Strache during the inauguration ceremony of the new Austrian government at the Hofburg in Vienna, Austria

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (left) stands next to vice-chancellor of the far-right Freedom Party Christian Strache during the inauguration ceremony of the new Austrian government at the Hofburg in Vienna, Austria

A heavy police presence of about 1,500 officers, with helicopters overhead and water-cannon trucks at the ready, blocked off the area around the Hofburg palace

A heavy police presence of about 1,500 officers, with helicopters overhead and water-cannon trucks at the ready, blocked off the area around the Hofburg palace

Austria’s Kurz strikes deal to bring far right into government

Kickl is a former speechwriter for Strache’s predecessor Joerg Haider, whose 2000 entry into government prompted an outcry and soul-searching in Europe that appear largely absent this time. Several hundred thousand people took to the streets on that occasion.

The FPOe also obtained the defence and foreign ministries, while the OeVP got finance, economy and justice amongst other portfolios, and will continue to handle EU affairs.

Both Kurz and Strache won over voters two months ago by stoking concerns about immigration after the record influx in 2015, mirroring elections elsewhere in Europe this year.

Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party became the second-largest in The Netherlands, Marine Le Pen of France’s National Front was in a runoff for the presidency and the Alternative for Germany entered the Bundestag.

But the FPOe is rare in western Europe in having translated success at the ballot box into real power.

At one point police fired a smoke grenade when some protestors tried to break through a barricade

At one point police fired a smoke grenade when some protestors tried to break through a barricade

A demonstrator with a banner reading 'Instead of tax cuts for the rich, work for all !' stands next to riot police during a protest against the new Austrian government

A demonstrator with a banner reading ‘Instead of tax cuts for the rich, work for all !’ stands next to riot police during a protest against the new Austrian government

Demonstrators of the Socialist Youth waving red flags attend a protest against the new Austrian government near the presidential palace in Vienna

Speaking at a far-right congress in Prague on Saturday, Wilders said the FPOe’s entry into government was ‘an excellent result’, while Le Pen called it ‘very good news for Europe’.

‘Every election demonstrates a form of rejection of the European Union,’ Le Pen said, echoing the euro-scepticism shown by the FPOe in the past.

Both Kurz and Strache emphasised however on Saturday that Vienna would stay staunchly pro-EU and that their plans for more Swiss-style ‘direct democracy’ excluded a referendum on EU membership.

But Kurz said that during Austria’s presidency of the EU, set for the second half of 2018, Vienna would press for Brussels to have less say in areas that he believes should be up to member states.

Kurz said he envisions an EU which should be ‘stronger in big questions and which should step back on smaller issues’.

Kurz also said that Austria would not change its line on supporting EU sanctions on Russia imposed over Ukraine, even though the FPOe, like other far-right groups, wants them lifted.

But according to their joint programme, Austria will ‘actively work’ towards easing the sanctions ‘in unison’ with the rest of the EU.

In addition the new government’s programme says that Austria will seek support to ‘definitively’ end Turkey’s bid to join the EU, sparking anger on Sunday from Ankara.

They may have failed to actually clinch a victory in national elections, but 2017 has nonetheless proven a bumper year for Europe’s far-right parties at the ballot boxes.

Yet with success also come growing divisions, which could mar their future ambitions.

Across the continent, eurosceptics peddling anti-migration agendas have reaped historic election results this year, tapping into unease about a mass influx of asylum-seekers – many from Muslim-dominated countries.

‘The far right in Europe is more popular today than it was at any time in postwar history,’ said Dutch expert Cas Mudde, an associate professor at the University of Georgia.

2017 has proven a bumper year for Europe's far-right parties at the ballot boxes. Pictured, left to right: Marine Le Pen, head of French far-right National Front party, Tomio Okamura, leader of Czech far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy party and Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders of the PVV party

2017 has proven a bumper year for Europe’s far-right parties at the ballot boxes. Pictured, left to right: Marine Le Pen, head of French far-right National Front party, Tomio Okamura, leader of Czech far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy party and Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders of the PVV party

The first boost to populists came in March when the Dutch anti-Islam Freedom Party of Geert Wilders became the second force in parliament.

Then followed the French National Front (FN) of Marine Le Pen, which took nearly 34 percent of votes in the May presidential run-off won by Emmanuel Macron.

This was double the score Le Pen’s firebrand father and FN founder Jean-Marie obtained in the second round in 2002.

September saw Germany’s Islamophobic and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), founded in 2013, enter the Bundestag – the first far-right party to do so since the end of World War II.

Last but not least, Austria’s anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPOe) got a near-record result of 26 percent in October and on Friday became the junior coalition partner in the rightwing government of leader-in-waiting Sebastian Kurz, 31.

Experts point out that far-right contenders don’t need to come first to seriously bruise traditional parties.

‘The glass is clearly three-quarter full for nationalists right now,’ French analyst Patrick Moreau said.

The migrant crisis has been a key factor in fuelling the rise of far-right populism.

More than 1.5 million people, many fleeing the civil war in Syria, have landed on Europe’s shores since 2015.

Resentment toward these new arrivals has grown in wealthy nations like Germany and Austria, which have received among the bloc’s biggest share of asylum seekers.

Observers say far-right discourse seeks to conflate the issue of immigration with terror attacks carried out on European soil over the past two years.

According to US sociologist Mabel Berenzin, the far right plays on fears relating to ‘the economy, migration, and security, which all contribute to a global feeling of insecurity’.

Shock events like the 2016 election of US President Donald Trump and Britain’s decision to leave the EU also revealed voters’ frustration with the political establishment.

Stemming the populist tide is a major headache for traditional parties, which are forced to decide whether to ostracise, copy or collaborate with the far-right.

Austria’s Kurz opted for the two latter options to march his People’s Party to victory.

‘Kurz has gone very far in his ideological rapprochement with the FPOe, a strategy which can work as long as he doesn’t completely trade off his party’s identity,’ noted Austrian analyst Thomas Hofer.

In neighbouring Hungary, the ultra-nationalist Jobbik party has been outflanked by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s hardline anti-immigration stance.

Meanwhile Bulgaria’s centre-right government of Boiko Borisov in March entered a coalition with ultra-nationalists.

And while France – like Germany and the Netherlands – refuses to rule with the far-right, its opposition veered distinctly right earlier this month after electing controversial rightwinger Laurent Wauquiez as its leader.

However some experts say centrist parties imitating the far-right will only find short-term success.

‘A sizeable part of the electorate of populist radical-right parties are not only motivated by authoritarianism and nativism, but also by very strong anti-establishment sentiments, which make them sceptical toward all promises by establishment parties – even authoritarian and nativist one,’ said Mudde.

In addition, the real challenge for Europe’s nationalist parties lies in keeping internal strife at bay.

The FN and AfD have been riven by leadership issues in the aftermath of their ballot success.

Similarly, Finland’s ultranationalist Finns Party imploded over divisions in June, barely two years after entering a coalition government with centrists.

‘Playing the opponent is in the DNA of populist parties,’ said Hofer, the Austrian expert.

‘It’s not easy to reconvert that into a government mindset.’


Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5193485/Austrian-far-right-Asylum-seekers-hand-phones.html

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