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Austrian Jews' outrage at far-right presidential candidate
Mar 2, 2010, 12:04 GMT
Vienna - Austrian far-right presidential candidate Barbara Rosenkranz drew sharp criticism from the country's Jewish organizations Tuesday - who highlighted her controversial stance on Holocaust deniers.
Rosenkranz, 51, has criticized Austria's anti-Nazi law, which outlaws Holocaust-denial, as a curb on free speech.
Freedom Party politician Rosenkranz is the only other nominee besides Social Democratic incumbent Heinz Fischer. He is widely expected to win the April 25 election.
Rosenkranz's candidature was a 'mockery of the 65,000 Austrian Jews killed in the Shoah,' the Jewish communities said in a statement.
They called on the public, civic groups and other parties not to boycott Rosenkranz's bid - although she stands no reasonable chance of winning.
Pollsters predict that the Freedom Party nominee could collect over 20 per cent of votes. Other parties have not fielded candidates, citing Fischer's popularity.
In the 1980s, her husband Jakob Rosenkranz was active in a neo-Nazi party NDP, which has since been banned.
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