Sugary twin towers attacks Austrian politics
The owner of a Vienna patisserie has managed to offend some of his customers by creating a sugar sculpture depicting the terror attack on New York’s World Trade Center - in an attempt to critique Austrian politics.
Thomas Kienbauer (48) told the Kronen Zeitung newspaper that he was so dissatisfied with the ruling coalition of the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) that he felt compelled to make a statement.
His sugary creation shows the twin towers in black and white, and red and white - the SPÖ and ÖVP colours - with two planes flying into them, representing not terrorists but the Greens and the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ).
Another plane lying on top of one of the towers represents the liberal Neos party, and is supposed to be the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.
Kienbauer, the owner of the Alexander Café-Konditorei in Vienna’s 18th district, told the Kronen Zeitung that “to really make a point, sometimes you have to exaggerate the facts”.
He added that “it’s time for change, for our children’s sake”.
He said he came up with the idea for the eye-catching sugar bomb after a customer remarked that the Vienna elections, to be held this year on 11th October, have a similar date to 9/11 - i.e. 10/11.
He added that the horrific attacks in 2001 changed the world, and that he also hopes for change with the end of the coalition. He said that he was fed up with “corruption” in politics.
He acknowledged that some of his customers might find the sculpture offensive and in bad taste but said that he didn’t intend to cause offence to any of the families of the 9/11 victims but just wanted to encourage people to think about the political situation in Austria.
The SPÖ and ÖVP have dominated post-war politics in Austria and critics, including the opposition FPÖ and the Greens, say Austria needs to reform public finances and pensions and cut a swollen bureaucracy to ensure living standards.
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Thomas Kienbauer (48) told the Kronen Zeitung newspaper that he was so dissatisfied with the ruling coalition of the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) that he felt compelled to make a statement.
His sugary creation shows the twin towers in black and white, and red and white - the SPÖ and ÖVP colours - with two planes flying into them, representing not terrorists but the Greens and the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ).
Another plane lying on top of one of the towers represents the liberal Neos party, and is supposed to be the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.
Kienbauer, the owner of the Alexander Café-Konditorei in Vienna’s 18th district, told the Kronen Zeitung that “to really make a point, sometimes you have to exaggerate the facts”.
He added that “it’s time for change, for our children’s sake”.
He said he came up with the idea for the eye-catching sugar bomb after a customer remarked that the Vienna elections, to be held this year on 11th October, have a similar date to 9/11 - i.e. 10/11.
He added that the horrific attacks in 2001 changed the world, and that he also hopes for change with the end of the coalition. He said that he was fed up with “corruption” in politics.
He acknowledged that some of his customers might find the sculpture offensive and in bad taste but said that he didn’t intend to cause offence to any of the families of the 9/11 victims but just wanted to encourage people to think about the political situation in Austria.
The SPÖ and ÖVP have dominated post-war politics in Austria and critics, including the opposition FPÖ and the Greens, say Austria needs to reform public finances and pensions and cut a swollen bureaucracy to ensure living standards.
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