We can do it!?

Hardly had Yppenplatz been declared a weapons prohibition zone in August, when the next stabbing occurred there. A 26-year-old was seriously injured. A slightly older Syrian national, who is said to be acquainted with him, was arrested as a suspect.

The incident has far-reaching consequences: For some, it is a confirmation that no more immigration should be allowed; at least none formed by asylum seekers. The reasoning is that violence in these milieus cannot be stopped.

The others do not even downplay it anymore. Even the Greens, who are often accused of it, are less naive than ever, let alone indifferent towards all who have immigrated: "Humanity and order" are necessary, said party leader Leonore Gewessler in the ORF summer talk. "Order" is a relatively new term for their kind.

According to "Standard", the issue at Yppenplatz is whether a utopia can be maintained or not. There's something to that: Like Vienna in Austria overall, Yppenplatz in the city itself stands for a vibrant, diverse society. There are venues here and on Saturdays at the market, offerings for everyone. The poor as well as the rich. Here, cultures and life plans meet that could not be more different. And it works.

More precisely: It usually still works. However, for a few years now, drugs have been increasingly traded in the square, and there has been an increase in violence. This is also dangerous in that: If it cannot be stopped, more and more people will stay away, venues will close, and market vendors who can afford it will "move" with their clientele. For example, to Währing, where many things are still different.

Then it will be said that living together at Yppenplatz was beautiful precisely because of the diversity, but it has been shown that it is ultimately impossible. That all illusions must be abandoned.

This is what the FPÖ has always claimed and is also spread by parts of the ÖVP. They would feel vindicated. For the SPÖ, however, which holds sway in the city and the district (Ottakring), it would be a turning point.

For them, it would become difficult to impossible to maintain their course, which stands for an open city where efforts are made to ensure that everyone who is here can live as best as they can, as it suits them; at least as far as it does not restrict others. Mayor Michael Ludwig and comrades put in enormous effort for this. Here and there they may face challenges; for example, in their demand for additional police officers for Ottakring, they are dependent on Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP), who would need to deliver.

However, this does not change the fact that the result matters: Whether living together, especially in a place like Yppenplatz, soon works better again or not. If it does not, or if there is even further deterioration, the SPÖ also risks losing in Vienna to those forces demanding "zero immigration" and "remigration."

Johannes Huber runs the blog dieSubstanz.at – Analyses and Backgrounds on Politics

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.