Cup and handle
Edith Meinhart, Ahmad Mitaev, Uwe Schaffer, Fabian Reicher, Sibylle Hamann
Cup and handle
Hardly any adults know him, but 25-year-old Ahmad Mitaev has been a star for young people since he started asking Viennese police officer Uwe Schaffer the most pressing questions on TikTok. The videos have been viewed 30 million times so far. In the book „Cop and Che“, journalist Edith Meinhart tells the story of an encounter at eye level that is unrivalled far beyond Austria.
In the world of police officer Uwe Schaffer, the young Chechen symbolised everything that goes wrong with integration and that the police end up having to pay for: a failed educational career, violence, religious extremism. And for Ahmad Mitaev, who became a criminal at the age of 13 and was about to join the terrorist militia „Islamic State“, someone like Uwe Schaffer was both a figure of fun and an object of hatred.
In an interview with Sybille Hamann, the author, the protagonists and youth social worker Fabian Reicher explain how a respectful dialogue can be established despite diametrically opposed experiences and views, what hurdles had to be overcome beforehand and what can be learned from this encounter when it comes to preventing violence and extremism.
Ahmad Mitaev, 25, Viennese with Chechen roots and an eventful past, now a role model for young people on TikTok and protagonist of the book „Cop and Che“
Uwe Schaffer, 60, born in Styria, is a neighbourhood policeman in Vienna's Brigittenau district who campaigns for a relaxed relationship between the police and the population; on Tiktok, he is the „cop“ alongside „Che“ Ahmad Mitaev.
Fabian Reicher, youth social worker with many years of experience in mobile youth work and extremism prevention, also a pioneer in the field of online youth work.
Edith Meinhart, Author of the book „Cop and Che“, journalist, wrote about flight and migration for profil for 25 years and has received numerous awards for her work.
Moderation Sibylle Hamann, journalist, former member of the NR.
Edith Meinhart:
Cop and Che. How a Chechen and a policeman became TikTok stars
Mandelbaum Verlag 2024, 20,-€