Austria sees 'dramatic increase' in right-wing activities

 Austria has seen a "dramatic increase" in the amount of right-wing activity in 2015, a new report from the ministry of the interior claimed on Monday.

Reported acts of a right-wing extremist, racist, xenophobic, or anti-semitic background increased from 750 in 2014 to 1,156 last year, a 54.1-percent increase.

Peter Gridling from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT) said the number of persons reported reached 1,691, what he called an "all-time peak."

Groups belonging to the so-called "new-right," including the Identitarians who attract a younger supporter base, are allegedly becoming increasingly more apparent in such right-wing activities.

The report also said the refugee and asylum crisis that began in 2015 also led to "a substantial unleashing of xenophobic aggression and resentment."

Meanwhile, reported acts of a left-wing nature decreased from 371 to 186 and persons from 545 to 412

Source: XINHUA