Trishita

Me and my husband are Indian residents and my husband has come to Germany on a work permit.I also tagged along and we both have a schengen visa which permits us to travel throughout Europe. We started travelling and covered many countries. All the travels were done on trains. Austria being our last destination. Everywhere our passports were checked on the trains by the authorities. However when we entered Austria the authorities didn't have a knowledge about our type of visa. We told them repeatedly that it's is a schengen visa and we have already travelled other places. They made us get down from the train. Our pleads were unheard. They humiliated my husband as he is a Sikh and wears a turban and their heads are always covered. But here the Austrian police didn't have any knowledge about it and asked him to bare his head in front of everyone. They checked us as if we were criminals. We again started protesting and then out of the blue they started making calls and after about 30 mins they realized we were right and they were wrong and let us go. My point is why was the Austrian border police not aware of the visa types where as when we went to France, Italy, switzerland etc everywhere they were aware. Austrian police needs to know about such things to avoid the humiliation caused to us. Also the religious sentiments of my husband was hurt. They should also know what a Sikh is and that he doesn't hide a knife or gun in his turban which was their direct comment.

Whathello

49% of Austrians voted for far right party at last elections.

It is less bad than the 98% of votes for Adolf in 1938 during Anschluss but they are not going in the right direction for sure.

You fell on 2 particularly racist and idiots. Qualities that often go together.

I am sorry about that.
Namaste.

Loacker

The majority of Austrians are a racist and intolerant bunch. Period.

This is not the first time I hear of such incident.

Loacker

I think your story should be published in a newspaper. Austrian police has to be publicly shamed.

Whathello

I am really scared when I agree with you Loacker.

fourfortravel

I am curious, nothing more. Do you recall where you crossed the border?

Dukey1

I am sorry to say that this post serves one purpose and one only: to allow the Op to somehow vent their anger and frustration.

We have no idea where in Austria this occurred and I suspect it has more to do with poorly-informed officials than anything else.

Unfortunately, it has provided a place for a couple of people to make absurd generalizations about entire countries while continually ignoring so-called xenophobic actions in others (such as voting not to allow the construction of any new mosques).

Will it happen to others who don't wear a particular sort of religious garb or even to those who do? Impossible to say.

I'm sure everyone shares the concerns of the OP but there are, IMO, much more effective ways to channel this information.

baladeuse

Well, Dukey, if I had experienced what the OP experienced, I would have a lot of anger and frustration to vent, and would consider it my right to do so in whatever way I chose.

Please share what you think are the "more effective ways to channel this information".

fourfortravel

A one-off "trip report" with generalized "information" does not effectively share anything meaningful with anyone. At the very least, the OP could have added "information" about how they were treated as they traveled throughout Austria for a complete picture.

Whathello

Dukey - so you find my remarks are absurd yet you are saying that the Swiss are equally bad - and it is not a generalization on your side?

Interesting behaviour.

And yes, actually my wife went into Switzerland some time ago. They were a group of 30 people. Only one guy was stopped and questioned by the custom officers.
Strangely he was also the only black guy.

I was also stopped and questioned by US custom officers when young and felt humiliated, clearly. I was questioned recently and was yelled at and told the guy I was ok to not be allowed to enter, he just ahd to sign a paper saying why I was rejected.

But let us not generalize. There are quite nice Swiss and quite nice Austrians. Even US. The problem probably starts with custom officiers, then with Austria, and as Dukey adds, Switerland, a xenophobic nation according to him/her.

Macross

Sikh's in the US have a hotline for bad behavior at security check points in airports. Sounds like they need them in Austria. Where was this exactly?

bvlenci

I think posting it here was a good idea. It would certainly be of interest to any other Sikhs thinking of visiting Austria. Also to other tourists who might not be as pale as the average Austrian. It also might cause enough of a ruckus that the Austrian authorities will feel obliged to train their immigration agents better.

By the way, how's that wall at the Brenner pass coming along? I heard it was going to be a big, beautiful wall and that the Italians would be made to pay for it.

Loacker

To address Dukey1's misinformed opinion. What the OP experienced is far from a singular incident.
The internet abounds with articles about racism in Austria.

Austrian police has been accused by Amnesty International of seriously flouting human rights. Black people often get questioned and arrested for no other reason than being black.

I wish some people would show some empathy towards other posters, instead of giving unsolicited lectures in forum etiquette.

farrermog

Austria now more attractive for those who like to smoke, actively or passively -

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-a8269516.html

mnag

So sorry about your experience. We love Austria - stunningly beautiful country. We were also pulled over - there were about 14 of us in 2 large vans - most of us are brown skinned with a few fairer ones thrown in the mix . They let us go after checking all of our passports (we are all American). It wasn't a bad experience - but we were pulled over for no reason at all. So it would appear that there is some form of profiling happening.