Syrians in Austria do volunteer work to disarm doubts about migrants

KRITZENDORF, Austria: Shovelling mud out of gardens almost two weeks after torrential flooding battered the small Austrian town of Kritzendorf, Abulhkeem Alshater gestures towards a banner: “Austro-Syrians say: Thank you, Austria.”

Alshater, 45, originally from Homs, Syria, has been working with dozens of his countryfolk to help clean up the mess left by floods. The work is a gesture of gratitude to Austria at a time when immigration has become a hot topic in Sunday’s general election.

Alshater hopes the sight of Syrians devoting time and energy to bring relief to the hard-hit state of Lower Austria will take some steam out of the often strident campaign rhetoric about uncontrolled immigration.

“There’s an election on. We’re trying to show that we’re not all the same,” said Alshater, who heads the Free Syrian Community of Austria, a support group for Syrians.

Fleeing war in their homeland, the number of Syrians living in Austria rose more than eightfold between 2015 and 2024, according to official data, with 95,180 there as of January.

Right-wing efforts to curb immigration to Austria have gained traction since deadly attacks in Germany blamed on migrants of Muslim origin, and a foiled plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert supposedly masterminded by an ISIS-inspired teenager.