Askin Kiyagan
16 May 2021•Update: 16 May 2021
VIENNA, Austria
Austrian Resul Yigit’s membership to the Austrian People’s Party (OVP) was terminated because of a social media post supporting Palestinians.
He actively served for years in the OVP that is led by Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz but posted a Palestine flag along with “Free Palestine” on his social media account.
"If a prime minister in a country could hang the flag of another country in the official office of the state and sloganize it, I was hoping that both politicians and the people would be able to express their opinion as they want, but unfortunately it was not like that," Yigit told Anadolu Agency.
Yigit said he shared the Palestinian flag and "Free Palestine" on his profile picture Friday on Facebook and explained that a member of parliament from the far-right Freedom Party of Austria teased Kurz about the post.
“Approximately one-and-a-half hours after my post on social media, I received a phone call from the party and I was told that my membership was terminated. Other party members also told me that I could not return to the party,” he said.
As a young politician who served his party for years, Yigit considers his expulsion because of a post a very offensive attitude.
Yigit said he carried out various tasks for the party from 2015 to 2019 and for more than two years he was in the central administration.
He said he was also active in the party’s youth branch and was appointed head of the youth organization in the 10th district of Vienna.
Yigit said he took a break from work at the party for about a year and became a member of the party in June 2020, participating in many activities.
Austria hoisted the Israeli flag on state buildings Friday to show solidarity with the Jewish state.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif canceled a visit to Austria because it hoisted the Israeli flags.
