[Local Austria] A fight between 50 youths that left seven people wounded and five arrested has become the latest incident in an ongoing feud between young Afghans and Chechens living in Austria. The brawl, which happened at the weekend near a youth center in Vienna's Brigittenau district, began after insults made over social media. The dispute quickly spilled into the streets, where the teens armed with knives, iron bars and wood, attacked one another in a mass uproar.
Youth center leader Gabriele Langer said there had been no indication beforehand that there was a problem, and that the fight had suddenly broke out when a group of young Chechens left the center and met the Afghans outside. Most of the brawlers fled when police arrived, although five were arrested and seven people aged between 14 and 17-years-old were hurt, some with life-threatening injuries.
Following the fight, locals said many residents now had a "bad feeling", with witness Maria Ritt saying, "I feel uncomfortable if I go out alone."
Ten years ago around 30,000 Chechens were granted asylum in Austria, making them at that time the biggest diaspora of that ethnic community in Europe. By the end of 2014, however, the number of Afghans had overtaken the number of Chechens, and with it ethnic clashes between the groups on issues related to women, drugs, and control of territory increased.
Police have been called out to major fights between these two groups throughout Austria, including in Vienna, Graz, Salzburg, Wels, Linz and St. Pölten.