The commission of inquiry into the events published its final report in February 2021, providing evidence of Nehammer’s misuse of high-value intelligence concerning crucial activities of the attacker that were pivotal to the perpetration of his attack.
Since then, the Austrian state has faced several lawsuits over the administration’s errors regarding the Vienna attack, with a family member of one of the victims filing a lawsuit based on the fact that the attack was preventable.
What purpose was Operation Luxor meant to serve?
To put it simply, the Austrian government was too busy preparing for its crackdown on Muslim citizens in Operation Luxor to attend to the matter of an actual violent attack. The question is: what purpose was the operation actually meant to serve?
Keeping the timing of Operation Luxor and Nehammer´s rhetoric during the above-mentioned press conference in mind, it seems clear that the timing of the raids was orchestrated to save face, as evidence of dysfunctional security management of the 2 November attack began to emerge.
Operation Luxor was meant to signal to the Austrian public that action was being taken following the attack, while at the same time criminalising Muslim activism and political action in an effort to silence Muslim opposition in Austria.
Furthermore, the report published by Cage and ACT-P highlights the similarity in tactics and language used by the Austrian government and the Egyptian regime. This could possibly indicate joint ‘counter-terrorism’ efforts between what is, on the one hand, a military dictatorship and, on the other hand, supposedly a Western democracy.
Time and time again, the governing Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) has proven that what the Austrian mainstream media is referring to as “failures” and “incompetencies” are actually the consequences of a well-calculated racist political strategy.
Enabled by society’s failure to identify racism, the current government has not missed a chance to profit from racist narratives, to disseminate Islamophobic bullying campaigns and policies, while at the same time failing to address any actual threats or offer sound security management, leading to the events of 2 November.
Operation Luxor targeted the best of us
When errors occur, there is usually a public yearning for accountability. Yet this kind of justice has never been granted in cases of state-sponsored Islamophobia in Austria. It is quite obvious that Operation Luxor was intended as a deliberate targeting and violent silencing of critical and active members of the Muslim community. It targeted the best of us: exemplary Muslim women and men who have dedicated their lives to increasing interreligious dialogue and bringing about peace, to strengthening the Muslim community, and to identifying and fighting the racist structures eating away at our democracy in Austria.
It targeted family, friends, and people deserving of our utmost respect and solidarity; role models for all of us.
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