Far-right targets Austria’s first refugee minister

VIENNA: Less than a week after Austria’s new conservative-Green coalition took power, it has already become a target for far-right supporters, who have railed against the country’s first minister with a refugee background.

Justice Minister Alma Zadic, who was born in Bosnia and fled the wars that tore apart Yugoslavia in the 1990s with her family at the age of 10, has faced a wave of social media abuse -- and even death threats.

The abuse has often appeared under posts from politicians from the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) -- a junior coalition partner until May -- revealing racist attitudes some say were fostered by the party during its time in office.

"A criminal Muslim woman becoming justice minister. Sharia (Islamic law) is coming soon," read one such contribution. In response Zadic, of the Green Party, has received support from across the political spectrum.

Conservative chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who also headed the coalition with the FPOe, vowed on Thursday to "fight online hate -- whether from the left, Islamists or the right". "Alma Zadic and all others who are affected by this have my full support!" he tweeted.

Zadic grew up in Vienna’s multicultural Favoriten district. She told the Kurier newspaper she did not speak a word of German when she arrived: "The teachers didn’t know what to do with me. "My experiences were anything but pleasant for an ambitious young girl." Now, at 35 years old, she has reached the cabinet.