Open letter to Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen

In an open letter, the mayors of the Consciousness Region Mauthausen – Gusen – St. Georgen directed an important appeal to Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen. This is the translated body of the letter:

Dear President van der Bellen:
In the shadow of the encumbered history of our region, the participants of the first International Human Rights Symposium of the Consciousness Region Mauthausen – Gusen – St. Georgen address to you our urgent request:
Please refuse to swear in to the Austrian federal government any person who has demonstrated affinity to right-wing extremism and who has failed to distance himself/herself unambiguously and credibly from the ideology of National Socialism [Nazi Germany/Austria]. To do anything less would constitute a threat to human rights.
In the name of all participants of the Human Rights Symposium,
with kind regards,
Mayor Thomas Punkenhofer [Mauthausen]
Mayor Christian Aufreiter [Gusen]
Mayor Erich Wahl [St. Georgen an der Gusen]