Free Republic

In what many citizens concerned with the survival of Austria as a European nation-state are calling a demographic tipping point, Muslims have now become the largest religious group in Vienna’s compulsory schools, comprising a striking 41.2% of all students across primary, secondary, and vocational education levels. The stark demographic shift has sparked outrage among conservatives and nationally-minded citizens in Austria, with the Freedom Party (FPÖ) warning that the capital is being culturally transformed beyond recognition. “This is no longer immigration. This is displacement,” said Maximilian Weinzierl, national council member and leader of the FPÖ’s youth wing. “41.2% of Muslim students—that’s...

New figures show that ethnic Austrians are about to become a minority in Vienna’s elementary schools. For the first time, Muslim pupils are now the largest religious group in Vienna's schools. According to recent figures, they make up 41.2% of pupils, while Christian pupils have dropped to 34.5%. The rapid demographic change has prompted Austria’s largest party FPÖ to sound the alarm. ”41.2% Muslim pupils - it's no longer a minority, it's becoming the new majority. This isn't immigration anymore, it's displacement,” says the head of FPÖ’s youth wing Max Weinzierl. The figures come from the city's school council. They...

Muslims are still trying to "avenge" themselves — including through acts of terrorism — against historical Christian victories over Islam from more than a millennium ago, such as the battle of Tours in France, in 732. Meanwhile, the city council of Vienna has been more than happy to appease Muslims against the man who saved Vienna from Islam in 1683 — all in the name of combatting "Islamophobia." ... a special look at what Vienna has become since opening its doors to Islam: ... Leftist domestic terrorists are fire-bombing Tesla dealerships and harassing owners across the country. They must face...

A bombshell FBI informant file containing a $10 million bribery allegation against President Biden and his son was released Thursday by Sen. Chuck Grassley, showing that a Ukrainian oligarch claimed he was “coerced” into making the payoff. The owner of Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings, Mykola Zlochevsky, told the FBI informant in 2016 during a meeting at a coffee shop in Vienna, Austria, that “it cost 5 [million] to pay one Biden, and 5 [million] to another Biden,” according to the redacted FD-1023 form. “Zlochevsky made some comment that although Hunter Biden ‘was stupid, and his (Zlochevsky’s) dog was smarter,’...

The 11-piece Vegetable Orchestra formed in Vienna, Austria, in 1999, when musicians of various backgrounds came together with the idea of carving veggies into instruments The performers have now perfected the art of playing with their food. Their instruments include carrots carved into recorders and leeks into mandolins. The orchestra was awarded the Guinness World Record for the most concerts by a vegetable orchestra after playing their 344th show. The musicians said they carve fresh vegetables before every performance, as their instruments only last for about 6 hours before starting to rot or losing their shape. The orchestra told Guinness...

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the Dual Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed by a compromise agreement between Vienna and Budapest, consisting of two sovereign states with a single monarch who was titled both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. The empire was geographically the second-largest country in Europe and the third-most populous, spanning almost 700,000 square kilometres and containing 52 million people. It was a major European power in the years prior to World War I, occupying much of central Europe and containing a rich mix of...

Two weeks after organizers scrubbed Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna amid a foiled terror plot, the singer issued her first statement on the cancellations. “Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram on Wednesday. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.” She thanked authorities — “thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives,” she wrote — and said she waited to speak until the European leg of her...

Taylor Swift's three concerts in Vienna this week have been canceled after two suspects were arrested for allegedly plotting a terror attack, authorities said. "We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone's safety," a message from Barracuda Music said. "All tickets will be automatically refunded." The cancellation comes hours after authorities announced a 19-year-old Austrian citizen was arrested Wednesday morning and a second suspect was arrested in the afternoon. The suspects allegedly radicalized themselves online, Franz Ruf, director-general for public safety in the Ministry of the Interior, said at a press conference. The 19-year-old suspect...

Portrait of Fräulein Lieser', which the Austrian modernist artist started in 1917, sold to an unknown buyer at an auction in Vienna yesterday. The portrait of a young woman was one of Klimt's last works, as the artist died in early 1918 after suffering from a stroke, meaning the painting has small unfinished areas. The Jewish Lieser family, who had commissioned the painting, received the artwork unfinished, but soon after were forced to flee Austria amid the rise of Hitler and antisemitism.

Several Muslim suspects have been arrested in France, Germany and Austria for allegedly planning Christmas terror attacks, according to reports, which say there’s a “very high level of terrorist threat” from Islamic terrorists in France. Spain is also on alert.In France, five men, aged 20 to 23, were apprehended in Meurthe-et-Moselle, Le Parisien reported, saying French intelligence services had been surveilling the men for links to criminal terrorist associations and they were found scouting Strasbourg Christmas market.A video filmed at the market featuring one suspect saying, “And there, we shoot,” was found during a raid. These men are believed to...

Vienna seemed like a no-brainer destination for my solo-moon for several reasons. Firstly, it's incredibly safe — in fact, Austria is the fifth-highest country on the Global Peace Index, which measures the level of societal safety and security. Considering that I'd be traveling without my partner and that I'm a woman, this was important to me. Vienna is also known for its legendary coffeehouse culture, impressive local wineries, and rich musical history — all major draws for me as a latte lover, wine enthusiast, and professional musician.

WASHINGTON — A bombshell FBI informant file containing a $10 million bribery allegation against President Biden and his son was released Thursday by Sen. Chuck Grassley, showing that a Ukrainian oligarch claimed he was “coerced” into making the payoff. The owner of Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings, Mykola Zlochevsky, told the FBI informant in 2016 during a meeting at a coffee shop in Vienna, Austria, that “it cost 5 [million] to pay one Biden, and 5 [million] to another Biden,” according to the redacted FD-1023 form. “Zlochevsky made some comment that although Hunter Biden ‘was stupid, and his (Zlochevsky’s) dog...

Oxygen Ion Battery - A prototype of the battery at TU Wien. Credit: TU Wien Researchers at TU Wien (Vienna) have developed a groundbreaking oxygen-ion battery, which boasts exceptional durability, eliminates the need for rare elements, and solves the problem of fire hazards. Lithium-ion batteries, while commonplace in today’s world – powering everything from electric vehicles to smartphones – aren’t necessarily the optimal solution for all applications. Researchers at TU Wien have made a breakthrough by creating an oxygen-ion battery that offers several significant advantages. While it may not match the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, its storage capacity doesn’t...

VIENNA (AP) — Austrian police warned Wednesday of a possible “Islamist-motivated attack” in Vienna against churches and other houses of worship, citing undisclosed information received by the country’s intelligence service. Police in Vienna tweeted that they had heightened security in front of certain buildings and increased the presence of officers in the Austrian capital. “There is a nonspecific threat of an assault against churches,” Vienna police tweeted. “As (a) precautionary measure ... points of interest have been put under increased guard by regular and special operation police forces.” “If there is a concrete danger for the population at a concrete...

Vienna police said that the threat was "non-specific" and that the patrols were a "preventative measure." Vienna police said on Thursday that it had increased patrols due to a general threat of attack against churches. Austria's public security directorate had received indications that an attack with an "Islamist motive" had been planned in Vienna, police said. "You will notice there are currently a larger number of police forces on patrol with special equipment," Vienna's police force tweeted. "The reason is a non-specific threat of attack against churches," it said. Police said that this represented a common "preventative measure." Vienna's police...

Six men went on trial in Vienna on Tuesday over their alleged links to a sympathizer of the Islamic State group who carried out a deadly shooting in the Austrian capital in 2020. A verdict in the trial at the Vienna state court is expected in February at the earliest, public broadcaster ORF reported. Four people were killed in the attack on Nov. 2, 2020, and the gunman also died. More than 20 other people, including a police officer, were wounded. Assailant Kujtim Fejzulai, a dual national of Austria and North Macedonia, had a previous conviction for trying to join...

VIENNA — Joe Biden was rejected from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts Friday after failing his second entrance exam. Professor Alois Delug said Biden's art was a mimicry of other, more successful works. "He has a talent for mimicry, I'll give him that. Not sure why he didn't make a go at still life. Still life painters just sit and copy whatever they're staring at. It would've been a natural fit for him, I think. Instead, he kept trying to pass off imitations of Thomas Kinkade as his own." Delug shook his head sadly. "And I like Thomas Kinkade!"...

The foreign policy chief of the European Union announced on Friday that a pause was needed in the negotiations in Vienna over Iran’s nuclear program, with “external factors” being cited, the Associated Press reported. A final agreement for the United States to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) it had withdrawn from in 2018 had been said to be close to completion, with Tehran agreeing in principle to limit its expanding nuclear program. But no new timetable for resuming the talks has been announced. “A pause in [the Vienna talks] is needed, due to external factors,” EU foreign affairs representative...

In July 2021, McLean Bible Church (MBC) in Vienna, Va., which is pastored by David Platt, was sued by five of its members (current and former) for allegedly barring them on illegal grounds in June of 2021 from voting in an important congregational meeting to approve new church leaders. MBC’s constitution says that elders must be approved by a three-quarters majority, but on June 30, 2021, the vote failed for the first time in the church’s history. Platt accused some MBC members of organizing a planned effort to thwart the election in a Sunday sermon, saying that a small group...

In 1621, the city of Chocim in today's western Ukraine witnessed a mighty battle between the Polish-Lithuanian Empire and an invading Ottoman army. Chocim is rightly remembered by Poland as a victory, although the conflict ended in a political draw. But this stalemate was fought by only about 50,000 men against three times as many Turks and Mongols. After the death of the Polish commander-in-chief, Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, it was Stanisław Lubomirski (1583–1649), not yet forty years old, who turned the tide in favor of Warsaw. Chocim was not the first battle in this war against Muslim aggression. Already in...