Austria will soon introduce mandatory vaccinations in the coronavirus pandemic.
At a concert on Lake Constance, Rainhard Fendrich gave a fiery speech for vaccination - including a drastic choice of words.
Munich / Dornbirn - Austria takes tough action: The Alpine republic has gone into a corona lockdown again since November 22nd.
Gastronomy, retail, hairdressers - everything is tight.
This also applies to indoor swimming pools, fitness studios and Christmas markets.
Only the ski lifts are still open in Austria - despite Corona.
Corona pandemic in Austria: Coronavirus infection numbers are skyrocketing
Because the number of coronavirus infections has skyrocketed between Vienna, Graz, Salzburg and Innsbruck, according to Federal Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP), vaccinations will be mandatory from February.
In Vienna, too, it had long been discussed whether such a law could be implemented legally.
And whether it would be morally justifiable.
Since the country with its around 8.9 million inhabitants has to shut everything down for the fourth time within 22 months, there was apparently no other solution for politicians.
I can no longer understand it.
Rainhard Fendrich on those who have not been vaccinated and those who refuse to be vaccinated
A TV entertainer who is also well known in Germany has now celebrated this decision.
Namely at a concert under the 2G rule on Lake Constance.
We are talking about the Austrian songwriter Reinhard Fendrich, who on Saturday (November 20th), two days before the start of the lockdown, was on stage again with his guitar and band in Dornbirn in Vorarlberg.
The prominent musician, who helped shape Austro-Pop, was once known to a wide audience as the presenter of the program "Herzblatt" (ARD and ORF) between 1993 and 1997.
Corona vaccinations in Austria: Rainhard Fendrich is relieved about mandatory vaccination
The 66-year-old told the microphone that his hometown was “Vienna in a state of emergency”. And at the beginning of his concert he gave a two and a half minute incendiary speech (see YouTube video below) for each vaccination requirement. “A lockdown for the unvaccinated? Now after two weeks they have figured it out that it is not feasible. You can't actually do that. I don't know what the (
politicians, ed.
) Eat at their meetings. I don't understand, ”he said to the loud applause of many guests in the hall.
“And now finally comes the bad word.
If you had uttered this word a week ago, you would have been a fascist, "continued the musician:" It is compulsory to have a vaccination.
I am happy that this is finally happening.
Namely what the experts have always said.
In a democracy everyone can say what they want.
Everyone has the right to say something.
But I have to ask the question: Is there also a right to be stupid in a democracy?
In the video: Because of Corona - Rainhard Fendrich holds fire speech for mandatory vaccination
But that's not all: Fendrich on harsh criticism of the behavior and attitude of unvaccinated people.
"The situation so far has been like this: a majority of those who have been vaccinated have been restricted so that they have to protect a minority of those who have not been vaccinated who do not want to be protected at all," he said.
Again to loud applause from the audience in Dornbirn, not far from the border with Bavaria near Lindau.
Corona vaccination in Austria: Alpine republic in lockdown again due to infection numbers
“I can no longer understand it,” continued Fendrich, and told of his trust in science: “The experts are people who have studied medicine for years, they have decades of experience.
They predicted this scenario very meticulously.
We can only hope that with this compulsory vaccination we have not divided society in a very short time. ”From the visitors of his concert, he wished in the best Viennese humiliation:“ Hoidn's please dia hygiene rules oan. ”To high German: Please keep yourselves to the hygiene rules for the corona pandemic.
(pm)