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When a few dozen Druze gathered recently in Vienna to commemorate the deaths of fellow Druze in Suwaida, they were joined by Kurds, who as another minority in Syria face persecution, and death, from Sunni Arabs. As they stood in quiet observance of those slain in Syria, they were attacked by the very people — Sunni Arabs — who have made their lives so difficult at home. More on that attack can be found here: “Importing Conflict to Austria: Syrian Muslims Disrupt Minority Demonstration,” translated from “Konflikt-Import nach Österreich: Syrische Moslems stören Minderheiten-Demo,” by Emanuela Sutter, Exxpress, July 18, 2025 (thanks to Medforth):
Syrian Druze and Kurds peacefully commemorated their slain compatriots at Vienna’s Westbahnhof station – until an aggressive group of Sunni Muslim counter-demonstrators suddenly formed. Hate slogans such as “You pigs!” and “Down with the Zionist agent” were chanted. Police confirmed that the counter-demonstration was unregistered. A young woman at the scene reported her impressions to exxpress.
The Druze are accused of being “Zionist agents” because the IDF has tried to protect them from slaughter by Sunni Arabs — both government troops and Bedouin — in Suwaida. There is no logic here, only murderous hatred.
Approximately 30 Syrian Druze and Kurds participated in the silent demonstration. A counter-demonstration of Syrian Sunnis formed across the street.
They lit candles, observed a moment of silence, and simply wanted to demonstrate peacefully: According to eyewitness accounts, around 30 Syrian Druze and Kurds gathered on Christian-Broda-Platz near Vienna’s Westbahnhof station on Thursday evening to commemorate their slain compatriots. They were killed by Sunni Bedouins and/or government troops during the fighting in the Syrian region of Suwayda.
“Stop the massacre of civilians in Suwayda,” “Even as a minority, you have the right to express your opinion,” were written on notes lying on the ground. Some demonstrators – women and men of all ages – waved Austrian or Kurdish flags.
But the calm didn’t last long. A participant in the registered demonstration reported to exxpress that the gathering was suddenly disrupted. “A group of aggressive men, many of them of Arab descent and obviously Islamist persuasion, approached and began loudly insulting and threatening us. They shouted slogans against Druze, Christians, Kurds, and other minorities. We were mocked, provoked, and massively intimidated.”
The demonstrator, herself a Syrian Druze, translated a video of the disruptors circulating on TikTok for this online outlet, documenting the incident. “Down with the Zionist agent!” “Every Sunni who doesn’t participate (in disrupting the demonstration, ed.) is a traitor and not a true Sunni because of these dogs!” or “You sons of bitches!” the counter-demonstrators shout in Arabic, according to the Druze woman, who came to Austria with her family 10 years ago on a visa and work permit and has just finished high school. Her name is known to the editorial team, but it is not being disclosed for security reasons.
Syria is characterized by various religious groups. The strongest are Sunni Muslims: they make up two-thirds of the population. Most Muslims worldwide are Sunnis. This group includes the new Syrian ruler and leader of the Islamist rebel militia Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Ahmed al-Sharaa, and his government members. Al-Sharaa may outwardly present himself as moderate, but the religious minorities – Christians, Druze, Alawites, Kurds – fear that Syria could become Islamist and they will lose their rights (exxpress reported). The ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad ruled dictatorially, but he himself was a member of a minority and strove for a secular state.
“The number of counter-demonstrators grew,” reports the young Druze woman. Another video shows some protesters shouting in Arabic and raising their middle fingers or fists against the Syrian minorities. According to the demonstrator, some also shouted “We Sunnis will kill you!” and called the Syrian minorities “pigs.” It is striking that there are many “Foodora” delivery drivers among them. Some wave the green, white, and black flag with three red stars – during the civil war, it became a symbol of the opponents of the former dictator al-Assad. Now the new Syrian government is raising the flag on its buildings and displaying it during the president’s speeches on Syrian state television.
Counter-demonstrators shout and point the middle finger. The flag of the new Syrian rulers is repeatedly waved.exxpress
“They weren’t political counter-demonstrators. They were simply people who didn’t see us as equals—they hated us. The hatred was religiously motivated; many of us were very afraid. I stood there myself and could hardly believe what was happening in a country like Austria,” says the demonstrator. She is glad that many police officers were on site.
The Vienna State Police Directorate confirmed to exxpress that the demonstration was legally reported and “it was short-lived.”
Fueled by their hatred of non-Muslim Druze and non-Arab Kurds, these raging bullies arrived to intimidate the Druze and Kurds who had quietly assembled to express solidarity with their brothers at home in Syria. The Arabs who descended on the group were consumed with hatred. As one of the Druze women present noted, “they were simply people who didn’t see us as equals – they hated us. The hatred was religiously motivated.”
Does the world realize that the killing of the Druze in Suwaida by Sunni soldiers and Sunni Bedouin is not a war over territory, but a religious war, being waged by those who hate the Druze for not being Muslims but Infidels, “the most vile of created beings”? They might look at the Muslim Arabs who descended on this small group of Druze (and a handful of Kurdish supporters), threatening to kill them. And they hate the Kurds for not being appropriately subservient to the Arabs. As the writer Anwar Sheikh has observed, though Islam makes universalist claims, it is in truth a vehicle for Arab supremacism.