(Reuters) -
Austria plans to ban militant Islamist groups' symbols and strip citizenship from people who travel abroad to fight with jihadists in a crackdown announced by conservative government ministers on Monday.The People's Party (OVP) campaign still needs to be coordinated with their Social Democrat coalition partners but looks likely to be adopted amid mounting concern in Austria about the potential security threat from radicalized Muslims, especially those who ally with Islamic State.
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Austrian Vice-Chancellor and OVP leader Reinhold Mitterlehner said an influx of foreign sympathisers for Islamist forces and the Islamic State's beheading of another western hostage had created a "dangerous European dimension" to the Syrian conflict.
"It is our duty as politicians to react to this increasing radicalization and to take appropriate steps," he said.
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Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner stressed a need for a zero-tolerance policy against radical Islamists, as shown by Austria's adding 20 staff to federal and provincial agencies in charge of combating terrorism.
"There is no place in our society for IS symbols on T-shirts and flags, so we want to ban IS symbols," she added.
Her ministry was working on legislation to revoke citizenship from "foreign fighters" and to prevent minors travelling outside the European Union without the consent of their guardians.
Justice Minister Wolfgang Brandstetter said the government would tighten hate crimes law so that people who urge violence against certain groups could be charged if their message reaches just 10 people instead of the current guideline of around 150.Police should also be able to get telephone and Internet usage data on suspects in serious cases as long as a judge approves, he said, adding: "Whoever sows hate and violence in Austria will reap prison."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/15/uk-iraq-crisis-austria-idUSKBN0HA17120140915
