Civil courage rewarded

After knife stabbing: award for “Hero of Favoriten”

The young soldier was out and about on Reumannplatz on Sunday evening, stood in the way of hooligans and was stabbed.(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner thanks the conscript (21) who helped women who were being harassed by a group of youths on Vienna's Reumannplatz. He confronted the boys. A young man (18) pulled out a knife and stabbed them.

It is every woman's nightmare to be harassed on the street at night. As reported, this happened at around 8.15 p.m. last Sunday at the Reumannplatz hotspot in Favoriten. Several youths harassed two women. A conscript (21) became aware of the situation and came to the aid of the victims. He confronted the boys.

Intensified police operation in the fight against youth gangs in Favoriten.(Bild: Reinhard Holl, Wiener Linien/Johannes Zinner, krone.at-Grafik)

Gang chased 21-year-old
They reacted extremely aggressively and attacked the 21-year-old. He almost paid for his civil courage with his life. Because the gang chased him. Suddenly one of them pulled a knife. The young man suffered cuts and stab wounds to his back and thigh and collapsed. Alerted police officers applied a tourniquet to his leg to stop the blood flow. The injured man was taken by ambulance to hospital, where he has since been discharged. He is now recovering from his injuries. The suspected perpetrator has now been caught. He is an 18-year-old Syrian. The murder weapon has also been recovered.

Civil courage deserves special mention
Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner took the opportunity to praise the young soldier personally: "Civil courage deserves to be honored and highlighted! After all, civil courage cannot be taken for granted. We should all take the young soldier's courageous actions as an example," said the Minister, thanking the conscript for his fearlessness and the help he provided. As a reward, she presented him with a so-called "Minister Coin". This includes a gift of money and time off work.