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Heute newspaper.
Political firestorm erupts
The case has triggered sharp political reactions, particularly from Integration Minister Claudia Bauer (ÖVP). She has called for lowering Austria’s age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12, arguing that current laws send a dangerous message.
In strong remarks, Minister Bauer stated: “If 12-year-olds rob, rape, or stab others with knives, then we must do something about it. Yes, children need to be educated, but if education fails, there must be other means. What kind of fatal message is it to perpetrators when their victims have to be flown to the hospital and they can go home unpunished to their mother?”
She added concerns about school safety: “It’s currently vacation, but during the school year, the perpetrator would be sitting in class again next to innocent children. That’s simply too dangerous for me.”
Bauer described the failure to update laws as “negligent,” warning that it endangers other students forced to share classrooms with serious young offenders.
The Freedom Party (FPÖ) quickly criticized Bauer, noting that they had proposed similar reforms earlier, including in February 2025, that were rejected by the ÖVP and other parties. FPÖ Wien Klubobmann Maximilian Krauss questioned the timing: “Where were these demands when they could have been implemented in parliament?”
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