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Austria cardinal: activists misuse asylum seekers

VIENNA (AP) — Austria's top Roman Catholic clergyman is accusing political activists of exploiting the plight of asylum-seekers who have occupied a church for over a month to press demands for better treatment.

Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn says the activists are "seeking a change of the (asylum) system at any price" even if they jeopardize the asylum-seekers' health. About a dozen young men, mostly from Pakistan, are pressing for better living quarters, temporary work permits and other demands while waiting for a decision on their applications to remain in Austria. Their supporters say several of them broke of a weeks-long hunger strike just recently.

Schoenborn's comments were reported Monday by the Kathpress news agency. Like the cardinal, some politicians also have accused activists of encouraging a continuation of the protest for their own aims.

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