Austrian documentation centre records highest-ever number of anti-Muslim incidents in 2025

Among the 1,684 registered cases was a racially motivated murder. In October 2025, a 50-year-old man shot his neighbour in Vienna-Donaustadt and, according to investigators, said upon arrest "Das muslimische Arschloch hat's verdient" and "Ich habe die iranische Sau umgeschossen." The perpetrator was sentenced to 19 years in prison for murder in March.

The majority of incidents — 63 percent — took place online. Among offline cases, the most frequent category was the "Verbreitung von Hass" (dissemination of hate) at 63 percent, followed by insults at 11 percent. Physical assaults accounted for 11 percent of reports, a relatively smaller share than other categories.

Online channels and institutional actors

Although individual perpetrators accounted for 71 percent of recorded cases, the report highlighted the role of institutional actors. Media (33 percent) and politics (27.1 percent) were responsible for the largest share of cases attributed to institutional sources. Cases originating from journalists rose to 12 percent, and those from politicians to 10 percent.

The political context

Dür-Kwieder identified a clear connection between political debates and reported incidents. She attributed the year-end "Peak" "ganz klar" to two developments: the federal government's "Null-Toleranz-Politik" (zero-tolerance policy) and the autumn announcement of a headscarf ban for girls under 14.

Speaking separately, Dunia Khalil, Dunia Khalil, emphasised that the figures do not represent the full picture. She said the numbers are not representative but rather a "Momentaufnahme" (snapshot), and that the actual number of unreported cases is likely much higher.

Hüseyin Günes of the Austrian Equal Treatment Commission (Gleichbehandlungsanwaltschaft) pointed to a particular vulnerability among women. "Wir sehen eine besondere Vulnerabilität von Frauen," he said, noting that gender-based Islamophobic incidents remain a consistent pattern in the data.

Call for a national action plan

Khalil also identified a one-to-one relationship between political debates and reported cases of Islamophobia, echoing Dür-Kwieder's analysis. Both speakers called on state institutions to take the findings seriously.

Dür-Kwieder criticised the absence of a national action plan against racism. "Das Ausbleiben eines Nationalen Aktionsplanes ist mehr als ein politisches Versäumnis, es ist ein Signal," she said, adding that the lack of such a plan signals that the fight against racism is not a political priority. She described it as a "dringenden Auftrag" (urgent mandate) for state bodies to sensitise their employees.

The documentation centre is a civil-society project that records Islamophobic incidents in Austria, offers legal counselling to affected individuals, and publishes an annual report based on self-reported cases and its own case work.