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{{Short description|Austrian politician (born 1960)}}
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{{Expand German|Martin Graf|date=June 2012}}
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{{Expand German|topic=bio|Martin Graf}}
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{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Martin Graf
| name = Martin Graf
| image = <!-- just the filename, without the File: or Image: prefix or enclosing [[brackets]] -->
| image = Martin Graf - Pressekonferenz am 26. Aug. 2020 (cropped).JPG
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| caption = Graf in 2020
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|5|11|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|5|11|df=y}}
| birth_place = Vienna
| birth_place = Vienna, Austria
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|1960|5|11|df=y}} -->
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|1960|5|11|df=y}} -->
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'''Martin Graf''' (born 11 May 1960) is an [[Austrians|Austrian]] politician. He is a member of the [[Freedom Party of Austria]] and former third president of the [[Austrian Parliament]].
'''Martin Graf''' (born 11 May 1960<ref>{{cite web |title=Mag. Dr. Martin Graf, Biografie {{!}} Parlament Österreich |url=https://www.parlament.gv.at/WWER/PAD_02834/index.shtml |website=www.parlament.gv.at |language=de}}</ref>) is an [[Austrians|Austrian]] politician. He is a member of the [[Freedom Party of Austria]] and former third president of the [[Austrian Parliament]].


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Graf was born in Vienna and studied law at the [[University of Vienna]]. He graduated in 1987 and trained as a [[lawyer]]. In his student days, he became a member of the [[student fraternity]] ''Burschenschaft Olympia'' which is considered [[far-right]] by the Archive of the Austrian Resistance (DÖW).<ref name="wienerzeitung.at">Thomas Hochwarter, [http://www.wienerzeitung.at/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4082&Alias=wzo&cob=379472 "FPÖ’s swordsman Graf 3rd President"]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''Wiener Zeitung'', 29 October 2008</ref> From 1994 to 2002 and again since 2006, he has been a member of the Austrian Parliament. The years in between, he was managing director of the [[Austrian Research Centers]]; from 2000 until 2006 he also served as a board member of the PVA, a government-owned [[insurance company]].<ref>Biography of Martin Graf, Austrian Parliament, http://www.parlament.gv.at/EN/AP/NR/PRAES/PRAES/BIOGR/show.psp?P_INF2=3{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }},</ref> Graf is the president of Viennese [[football club]] ''FC Hellas Kagran''. He is married and has three children.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}
Graf was born in Vienna and studied law at the [[University of Vienna]]. He graduated in 1987 and trained as a [[lawyer]]. In his student days, he became a member of the [[student fraternity]] ''Burschenschaft Olympia''.<ref name="wienerzeitung.at">Thomas Hochwarter, [http://www.wienerzeitung.at/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4082&Alias=wzo&cob=379472 "FPÖ's swordsman Graf 3rd President"]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''Wiener Zeitung'', 29 October 2008</ref> From 1994 to 2002 and again since 2006, he has been a member of the Austrian Parliament. The years in between, he was managing director of the [[Austrian Research Centers]]; from 2000 until 2006 he also served as a board member of the PVA, a government-owned [[insurance company]].<ref>Biography of Martin Graf, Austrian Parliament, http://www.parlament.gv.at/EN/AP/NR/PRAES/PRAES/BIOGR/show.psp?P_INF2=3{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }},</ref> Graf is the president of Viennese [[football club]] ''FC Hellas Kagran''. He is married and has three children.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}


== Criticism==
== Controversy and criticism==
Following the [[2008 Austrian legislative election|2008 general election]] which put the Freedom Party in third place, on October 28, 2008, he was elected the National Council's third president, despite heavy opposition by the [[The Greens – The Green Alternative|Green Party of Austria]], which fielded its own candidate, [[Alexander Van der Bellen]],<ref name="wienerzeitung.at"/> and by the [[Jew]]ish community of Vienna, by artists and intellectuals who strongly disapprove of Graf. [[Efraim Zuroff]] from the [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]] also expressed deep concern over the "''well-known ties''" Graf has with extreme right groups.<ref>http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.2502909.0.0.php{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} "Sunday Herald: The Hitler Legacy"</ref>
Following the [[2008 Austrian legislative election|2008 general election]] which put the Freedom Party in third place, on 28 October 2008, he was elected the National Council's third president, despite heavy opposition by the [[The Greens – The Green Alternative|Green Party of Austria]], which fielded its own candidate, [[Alexander Van der Bellen]],<ref name="wienerzeitung.at"/> and by the [[Jew]]ish community of Vienna, by artists and intellectuals who strongly disapprove of Graf. [[Efraim Zuroff]] from the [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]] also expressed deep concern over the "''well-known ties''" Graf has with extreme-right groups.<ref>http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.2502909.0.0.php{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} "Sunday Herald: The Hitler Legacy"</ref>


His opponents consider Graf to be unsuitable for the office because of his rightist leanings and continuing ''Burschenschaft Olympia'' membership. The student fraternity, which still practises [[academic fencing]], is alleged to have [[Neo-Nazi]] links. In the discussions prior to his election, he condemned [[National Socialism]] and [[anti-Semitism]], but said he would in any event remain a member of the ''Burschenschaft''.<ref name="dw-world.de">[http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3749996,00.html "Disputed Far-Rightist Elected to Top Post in Austrian Parliament"] DW-World.de, 29 October 2008</ref> Freedom Party leader [[Heinz-Christian Strache]] called the election of Graf a "victory for democracy" and emphasized his belief that Graf was a seasoned and "irreproachable parliamentarian".<ref name="dw-world.de"/>
His opponents consider Graf to be unsuitable for the office because of his rightist leanings and continuing ''Burschenschaft Olympia'' membership. The student fraternity, which still practices [[academic fencing]], is alleged to have [[Neo-Nazi]] links. In the discussions prior to his election, he condemned [[National Socialism]] and [[anti-Semitism]] but said he would, in any event, remain a member of the ''Burschenschaft''.<ref name="dw-world.de">[http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3749996,00.html "Disputed Far-Rightist Elected to Top Post in Austrian Parliament"] DW-World.de, 29 October 2008</ref> Freedom Party leader [[Heinz-Christian Strache]] called the election of Graf a "victory for democracy" and emphasized his belief that Graf was a seasoned and "irreproachable parliamentarian".<ref name="dw-world.de"/>


On 12 February 2009 the Public Prosecutor's office in [[Vienna]] asked the parliament to lift his [[Parliamentary immunity|immunity]], because they wanted to charge him with [[embezzlement]] and [[fraud]] in connection with his former job as a manager of the [[Austrian Research Centers]]. The prosecutor's focus was on Graf's severance payment and the bonus he got when the ARC was in financial difficulties. Graf denies the allegations, calling them "''baseless''".<ref>Prosecutor angling to nail FPÖ man Graf {{cite web|url=http://www.austriantimes.at/index.php?id%3D11179 |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-02-24 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531201053/http://www.austriantimes.at/index.php?id=11179 |archivedate=2011-05-31 |df= }}</ref>
On 12 February 2009, the Public Prosecutor's office in [[Vienna]] asked the parliament to lift his [[Parliamentary immunity|immunity]] because they wanted to charge him with [[embezzlement]] and [[fraud]] in connection with his former job as a manager of the [[Austrian Research Centers]]. The prosecutor's focus was on Graf's severance payment and the bonus he got when the ARC was in financial difficulties. Graf denies the allegations, calling them "''baseless''".<ref>Prosecutor angling to nail FPÖ man Graf {{cite web|url=http://www.austriantimes.at/index.php?id%3D11179 |title=Prosecutor angling to nail FP? Man Graf - General News - Austrian Times Online News - English Newspaper |accessdate=24 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531201053/http://www.austriantimes.at/index.php?id=11179 |archivedate=31 May 2011 }}</ref>


In April, Graf hosted the presentation of a book written by his party colleague [[Andreas Mölzer]] containing strong criticism of the [[European Union]], in the rooms of the Austrian parliament. The keynote speaker at that event was Walter Marinovic, a former teacher who has links to the hard-right [[National Democratic Party of Germany]] and also writes for the [[Deutsche Nationalzeitung]] of [[Gerhard Frey]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/download/SHOW/vsbericht_2003_engl.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-05-06 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019053944/http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/download/SHOW/vsbericht_2003_engl.pdf |archivedate=2007-10-19 |df= }} German Office for the Protection of the Constitution</ref> A deputy of the Green Party protested against Marinovic's invitation.<ref name="blog.z-word.com">http://blog.z-word.com/2009/04/austrias-far-right-blames-the-jewsagain/{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Austria’s Far Right Blames the Jews…Again</ref>
In April, Graf hosted the presentation of a book written by his party colleague [[Andreas Mölzer]] containing strong criticism of the [[European Union]], in the rooms of the Austrian parliament. The keynote speaker at that event was Walter Marinovic, a former teacher who has links to the hard-right [[National Democratic Party of Germany]] and also writes for the [[Deutsche Nationalzeitung]] of [[Gerhard Frey]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/download/SHOW/vsbericht_2003_engl.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=6 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019053944/http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/download/SHOW/vsbericht_2003_engl.pdf |archivedate=19 October 2007 }} German Office for the Protection of the Constitution</ref> A deputy of the Green Party protested against Marinovic's invitation.<ref name="blog.z-word.com">[https://web.archive.org/web/20090426213950/http://blog.z-word.com/2009/04/austrias-far-right-blames-the-jewsagain/] Austria's Far Right Blames the Jews…Again</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{cc}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070429173104/http://www.martin-graf.at/wb/pages/vorstellung.php Graf's web site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070429173104/http://www.martin-graf.at/wb/pages/vorstellung.php Graf's web site]
*[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=de&tl=en&u=http://olympia.burschenschaft.at/&usg=ALkJrhhJzPFQyAuQM7AB2N8sbnBx7g2R-Q Burschenschaft Olympia website]
*[http://olympia.burschenschaft.at/&usg=ALkJrhhJzPFQyAuQM7AB2N8sbnBx7g2R-Q Burschenschaft Olympia website]{{dead link|date=February 2024|bot=medic}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:20th-century Austrian politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Austrian politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Austrian politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Austrian politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the National Council (Austria)]]
[[Category:Freedom Party of Austria politicians]]
[[Category:Freedom Party of Austria politicians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Latest revision as of 19:51, 28 June 2024

Not to be confused with Martin Graff.

Martin Graf
Graf in 2020
Born (1960-05-11) 11 May 1960 (age 64)
Vienna, Austria

Martin Graf (born 11 May 1960[1]) is an Austrian politician. He is a member of the Freedom Party of Austria and former third president of the Austrian Parliament.

Biography

[edit]

Graf was born in Vienna and studied law at the University of Vienna. He graduated in 1987 and trained as a lawyer. In his student days, he became a member of the student fraternity Burschenschaft Olympia.[2] From 1994 to 2002 and again since 2006, he has been a member of the Austrian Parliament. The years in between, he was managing director of the Austrian Research Centers; from 2000 until 2006 he also served as a board member of the PVA, a government-owned insurance company.[3] Graf is the president of Viennese football club FC Hellas Kagran. He is married and has three children.[citation needed]

Criticism

[edit]

Following the 2008 general election which put the Freedom Party in third place, on 28 October 2008, he was elected the National Council's third president, despite heavy opposition by the Green Party of Austria, which fielded its own candidate, Alexander Van der Bellen,[2] and by the Jewish community of Vienna, by artists and intellectuals who strongly disapprove of Graf. Efraim Zuroff from the Simon Wiesenthal Center also expressed deep concern over the "well-known ties" Graf has with extreme-right groups.[4]

His opponents consider Graf to be unsuitable for the office because of his rightist leanings and continuing Burschenschaft Olympia membership. The student fraternity, which still practices academic fencing, is alleged to have Neo-Nazi links. In the discussions prior to his election, he condemned National Socialism and anti-Semitism but said he would, in any event, remain a member of the Burschenschaft.[5] Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache called the election of Graf a "victory for democracy" and emphasized his belief that Graf was a seasoned and "irreproachable parliamentarian".[5]

On 12 February 2009, the Public Prosecutor's office in Vienna asked the parliament to lift his immunity because they wanted to charge him with embezzlement and fraud in connection with his former job as a manager of the Austrian Research Centers. The prosecutor's focus was on Graf's severance payment and the bonus he got when the ARC was in financial difficulties. Graf denies the allegations, calling them "baseless".[6]

In April, Graf hosted the presentation of a book written by his party colleague Andreas Mölzer containing strong criticism of the European Union, in the rooms of the Austrian parliament. The keynote speaker at that event was Walter Marinovic, a former teacher who has links to the hard-right National Democratic Party of Germany and also writes for the Deutsche Nationalzeitung of Gerhard Frey.[7] A deputy of the Green Party protested against Marinovic's invitation.[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mag. Dr. Martin Graf, Biografie | Parlament Österreich". www.parlament.gv.at (in German).
  2. ^ a b Thomas Hochwarter, "FPÖ's swordsman Graf 3rd President"[permanent dead link], Wiener Zeitung, 29 October 2008
  3. ^ Biography of Martin Graf, Austrian Parliament, http://www.parlament.gv.at/EN/AP/NR/PRAES/PRAES/BIOGR/show.psp?P_INF2=3[permanent dead link],
  4. ^ http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.2502909.0.0.php[permanent dead link] "Sunday Herald: The Hitler Legacy"
  5. ^ a b "Disputed Far-Rightist Elected to Top Post in Austrian Parliament" DW-World.de, 29 October 2008
  6. ^ Prosecutor angling to nail FPÖ man Graf "Prosecutor angling to nail FP? Man Graf - General News - Austrian Times Online News - English Newspaper". Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) German Office for the Protection of the Constitution
  8. ^ [1] Austria's Far Right Blames the Jews…Again
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