“Vaccination has to be a free decision.” That is clear for Sabine Deckenbach, the ÖVP mayor of Hardegg (Lower Austria). In her video, which is spreading rapidly online, she explains: “The discrimination of the unvaccinated and the division must finally end.” She criticizes the statements by Schallenberg (“The reins must be tightened”) and Köstinger (“Solidarity with the unvaccinated is over”). With the massive agitation and the lockdown for unvaccinated people, a red line has been crossed for Deckbach.
Although she still belongs to the party, she can no longer identify with the inhumane ÖVP course. (Christina Staffler (Young ÖVP Osttirol) already showed last Thursday that the ÖVP is encountering more and more resistance in its own ranks when she left the party. apologizes for the statements of the mayor ”. Why the party must distance itself from its own circles of calling for an end to the split should be thought-provoking. We were allowed to talk to the courageous ÖVP lady. While she was not available for an interview with the medium, which is eager for attention with inflammatory articles and unfavorable screenshots, she told us which change of course is urgently needed:
An interview by Edith Brötzner
Report24: Sabine, thank you for taking the time for an interview! You have a video go through the net or put a video online that has gone through the net. What was this video about?
Sabine ceilingbach: This video was about the fact that it was just important to me to address this agitation that was happening. The defamation of the unvaccinated in order to give the child a name. For me, it’s really, really bad what’s going on.
Report24: What was the background of this video? Various media assume that your video is not necessarily positive. What was your motivation to put this video online?
Sabine ceilingbach: I just wanted to say what was happening. This agitation, this discrimination, especially of the unvaccinated.
Report24: You belong to the ÖVP. Why do you belong to this party? What motivates you What do you like about this party?
Sabine ceilingbach: When I joined the party in January 2020, I found Mr. Kurz very exciting. He made a young, dynamic impression on me. I was totally motivated. Local politics and state politics are now two different things. The reason why I went to the party or to community politics was that I wanted to change something for the families. For women what wanted to change. Very few women are active in politics. That’s why I decided to take this step back then.
ÖVP shows little enthusiasm for courageous party colleagues
Report24: Is there currently any feedback from the ÖVP on your video? It’s not quite on the course that the ÖVP is currently publishing.
Sabine ceilingbach: Yes. The ÖVP spokesman for Lower Austria called me yesterday. They weren’t that enthusiastic about my video. But I say quite honestly: I won’t let this get me down now. That is my opinion and my free opinion is also due to me. And now I am speaking as a private person and not as the mayor that I am. I have so much support and so much positive feedback. That encourages me to keep going.
Report24: What would have to happen for it to be good?
Sabine ceilingbach: This agitation and this discrimination must get out. We should take a step towards each other again. We should be there for each other again. That is what I find very, very important. I emphasized that in my video too. We speak of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, of “vaccination supporters” or “vaccination refusers” and “vaccination opponents”. I think we’re just people with different opinions who should be respected. That’s actually the message behind my video, why I posted that.
Vaccination decision must be voluntary!
Report24: How do you see it – are there actually vaccination refusals, vaccination advocates? What is your personal opinion on this topic?
Sabine ceilingbach: Of course there are people who think more of the vaccination and then there are also people who are simply still skeptical about this vaccination. I’m also the kind of person who just wants to think twice about whether or not to undergo this therapy. And I think everyone should be free to decide whether they want to take this vaccination or not. We’re miles away from that right now. The pressure that is being built up against everyone has nothing to do with voluntariness.
Report24: That means you can say you are not a vaccination opponent. You just want that there is a free vaccination decision?
Sabine ceilingbach: Definitive. That’s how it is, yes.
Report24: Thanks at this point for connecting instead of splitting and let’s hope that it goes in a positive direction.
Sabine ceilingbach: Exactly. This is my biggest wish. That we are moving closer together.
Giving in is not an option for the ÖVP politician. There has now been an overwhelming amount of support and responses from the population.
You can find the interview here:
