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Begin New Drive on Austria Jews

March 6, 1934
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Under the pretext that Jews were favored by the previous Social Democratic administration, the Christian Socialist party and its press today began a new campaign against Austrian Jewry. The Christian Socialist newspapers today demanded the revocation of the citizenship rights of tens of thousands of Jews who came to Vienna in the years after the World War from Galicia, Bukovina, Bohemia and Hungary and obtained citizenship papers as far back as ten years ago. The provinces formerly belonged to Austria.

They also demanded that Jewish doctors, employed since the end of the World War by Austrian hospitals and the sick fund panels be dismissed and replaced with Christian doctors.

The Morgen Blatt, organ of the Christian Socialists, declared that the population will “only greet such measures.” The Salzburger Volksblatt, another party organ, said that “our commercial, industrial and artisan interests demand the annullmeut of the citizenship rights of naturalized aliens.”

The Reich Post, commonly regarded as a semi-official government organ, emphasized that despite the possible dissolution of the Christian Socialist party, the leaders of the party now in the government will remain influential.

JEWISH RESTRICTION SOUGHT

The Christian Socialist party and its leaders have been consistent advocates of restrictive measures against the Jews of Austria. Although scorning the methods of the German Nazis as barbarous, they have insisted that numerous clauses against Jews and restrictions against Jews in the professional and public life of Austria could be introduced “quietly and in an orderly fashion without the suffering and cruelty of the Nazi regime.”

One of the chief advocates of these restrictive measures is Dr. Emmerich Czermak, president of the Christian Socialist party.

The new Austrian constitution based upon the Papal encyclical “Quadra Gesimo Anno” which will make Austria an “authoritative corporate state” will be promulgated within a week, Austrian authorities announced today. It is known that the new constitution vastly increases the powers of the president, This is thought to indicate that preparations are being made for the restoration of the Hapsburg monarchy in Austria. Chancellor Dollfuss and other leaders of the present regime have denied over and again that they have any intention of restoring the monarchy at this time.

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