A Muslim cemetery in Austria was desecrated in the same weekend that elections established the far-Right as the largest political bloc in the country.

More than 90 graves were severely damaged at the cemetery in Traun, near Linz, in what police believe was an organised action of far-Right extremists.

According to a Linz police spokesman, the incident happened between Friday night and Monday morning. The offenders have sprayed Jewish symbols such as the Star of David over some of the graves, but police believe that it was a bid to distract attention from far-Right offenders.

A spokesman for the local Islamic Community said that they were “deeply shocked” at the news of the desecration.

Meanwhile, Austria is poised for a period of soul-searching following a swing to the Right at the parliamentary elections yesterday. Polls and analysis conducted immediately after the elections indicate that the move to the Right was brought about by predominately young voters who are concerned about their future in the European Union.

The two far-Right parties that captured almost 30 per cent of the vote, the Freedom Party and the Alliance for the Future of Austria, have campaigned on a vehemently anti-immigration ticket and some of their slogans were deemed xenophobic by critics.

Both parties seek to ban the building of mosques and minarets, arguing that they were political symbols of an on-going Islamisation of Austria and Europe.

Heinz-Christian Strache, the head of the Freedom Party that won more than 18 per cent of the vote, also campaigned against headscarves and burkas and even expressed his opposition to foods that are perceived to be related to Islam. At his final rally in Vienna, he spoke of a “European brotherhood” to prevent the rise of Islam.

Times Recommends

• Please help: maimed children of war want their lives back
• Cabal seizes diamond riches to buy power
• White House gatecrashers got to the president