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High-ranking Austrian EU diplomat resigns over alleged links to misogynistic ‘rape' blog

High-ranking Austrian EU diplomat resigns over alleged links to misogynistic ‘rape' blog

Thomas Oberreiter (59) was reported by Der Standard, an Austrian newspaper, to be the author behind the webpage, which mixed fantasy with real-life photographs.
'The ambassador requested he be dismissed for personal reasons. [Foreign Affairs] Minister [Beate] Meinl-Reisinger accepted the request,' Austria's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said it could not offer further information because of data protection, and said its statement shouldn't be taken as confirmation of the allegations against Mr Oberreiter.
One first-person piece from an archived version of the webpage recounts a woman being sexually assaulted in a nightclub
Reports in Austria said the now-deleted blog could be traced using location data back to the foreign affairs ministry in Vienna.
Details of his blog were reported as surfacing from an unnamed whistleblower originating from the foreign ministry.
The anonymous posts, which were made under the name of 'Caro' on the website, were ­often made during office hours.
One first-person piece from an archived version of the webpage recounts a woman being sexually assaulted in a nightclub.
Others contain graphic and often violent sexual references.
Mr Oberreiter has worked at Austria's foreign ministry for 30 years, and has also held senior positions at the heart of government in Vienna, including chief of cabinet to former foreign affairs minister Alexander Schallenberg.
As Austria's permanent representative to the EU, the 59-year-old was his country's top ­diplomat in Brussels and a vital cog in shaping its European policy.
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Der Standard said Mr Oberreiter disputes what it called 'the alleged allegations'. Mr Oberreiter was approached for comment.
Accusations that he was behind the blog first surfaced on Fass ohne Boden, an Austrian investigative platform run by Alexander Surowiec, a former adviser to the country's hard-right Freedom Party.
This, according to Der Standard, gave the revelations a 'political dimension', because Mr Oberreiter was seen as 'part of the OVP family', referring to Austria's centre-right People's Party.
A spokesman for the Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs said: '
For reasons of data and privacy protection of the person concerned and their relatives, we cannot provide further details.'
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