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From
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"samizdat.net" <samizdat@ecn.org>
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Date
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Fri, 24 Mar 2000 17:18:42 +0100
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Subject
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globe_l: Autriche - Blue/black repression
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The removal of basic democratic rights, the smear campaigns and
threats; this is the new Blue/Black Austria.
With the increasing number of protests against the FPOE/OEVP-
government, the state is using its weapons against the opposition,
people are imprisoned,and the FPOE retaliates with threats. The
critical(?) media and the foreign press overlooked facts until now. On
one hand the police arrested specific commited activists from the
radical left, on the other they did not stop the official opposition. In
addition and virtually unnoticed, the FPOE threatened the
cultural society and the press that they can be too critical. Individuals
from across the spectrum of society could see the threats,
confrontations and rassicist attacks taking place.
A Branch of the police tests the Civil War!
On the 4th February, the day the new government was sworn in, the
Viennese police, mainly the special branch WEGA, attacked a peaceful
demonstration. Until now such action had not been believed. This
brought about the massing of thousands of demonstrators against the
government, the second republic had not seen such unrest in its
existance. After its short time of occupancy the FPOE lead MPs
believed the WEGA had not acted in an unprovoced way. At a rally
infront of a prison for foreigners later in the afternoon, it was the same
scene of violence, this was to ulitmately escalate outside the FPOE
headquaters. After a long standoff the police resorted to watercannons
and mercilessly beat the demonstrators sitting peacefully on the floor,
dozens were injured. Also the police beat demonstrators
indiscriminately on demonstrations in the citycentre. The year long
police de-esclatioin that had been eperienced was therefore totaly
destroyed.
The police conciously provoke part of the resistance to make them
criminals and thus discredit the opposition to the government.
These strategies did not stop.
The noisy, but peaceful demonstrations the next day didn't give the
police enough ground to attack, therefore another step was taken by the
police and they identified and attacked specific indivdiduals. On the 6th
February a demonstrtion of over 10,000 people descended on the ORF
headquaters. There, civilservants,tried to take cameras from the
documentation teams. Later a demonstrator was forced into a police car
and had her hand bag taken away containing anti-government leaflets.
After a lot of protesting and under the supervision of a PRO-7 camera
crew the handbag was given back by the policeman who had stolen it,
the leaflets were never returned by the police.
At the international demonstration on the 19th February the controling
of the radical left reached new limits. Identity cards were taken from
people's hands and the people then photographed by WEGA with a
polaroid camera. At Westbahnhof a group from PDS Tuebingen were
abused by the police, their mobile phones were destroyed and their
shoes taken away (News 23 February). Such an attack is against
everybody.
Later an autonomous group were seperated from the demonstration by
a police cordon without provocation. This is the beginning of the
abolition of the right to demonstrate for unpopular groups. Also on the
evening of the same day, in the citycentre, a serious witchhunt for
demonstrators was organised, even more people were beaten, their
shoelaces cut and people were threatened (there are statements from
witnesses). It was on this evening that people wearing certain clothes,
specific hairstyles, or singing radical left songs were not able to go into
the citycentre safely. Demonstrators from abroad also said that such
behaviour had not been heard of or believed possible and that a lot of
people are afraid not being "Standard European".
The Viennese police need only two weeks to re-write these standards.
Deliberately arresting unpopular people and the intervention in the
established rights of the political parties.
A totally new thinking lies behind the criminalistion of every socially
commited person.
In the light of the Opernball demonstration, on the 2nd March, the
police began a mad rush to prevent the construction of an
"Autonomous Block" that supposedly enjoyed the support of German
Autonomous groups, who were supposed to attack the Opernball.
Noisy protests on this evening were everywhere and combined to
make the peaceful and colourful "Anti-fascist carnival" that the
government was supposed to laugh at.
There was practically no disturbances except those that the police
started. Then came the possibilty to use a new police force;
Sondereinsatzgruppe Kriminaldienst (SEK) (Special Attack Group
Criminal Police): this force began, on the 1st February, its 6 month trial
run. Their specific brief being "Observation and Access".
It consists of 55 members who are voluntary and unpaid and
sequestrated from various parts of the police force. What is the
motivation behind giving yourself unpaid volutary work? That
becomes a little clearer: This mixed group were masked on the
demonstration and were undiscernable from each other. After the
demonstration a woman was assailed by 2 masked men and forced in
to a taxi, in front of witnesses. No one knew where they were taking
her. There was another similar attempted kidnapping, when the
"policemen" realised they had been observed they tried to arrest the
winesses. The woman had been hidden in a remand prison and was,
after over a week, later released on the condition that she didn't attend
another demonstrarion until her case opened. This means the right to
gather has been removed. She also had bruises upon her release.
One hour after the woman had been successfully kidnapped, four
people were removed from a taxi by masked police men with drawn
weapons , two were arrested by uniformed police and charged with
"resisting the authority of the state". They were taken to the police
station in the 16th district where the founder of the SEK (Rabensteiner)
is based. Even hours later the spokeswoman for the police knew nothing of
the arrests. The SEK, a special group, operates outside the police. In the
"Presse" ,on the 18th March, they stated "We were the masked men." The
police maintain it was only because of an act of violence or provocation
that these masked policemen acted. The need to introduce these "agent
provocateur" was anticipated by the government. In the face of such
methods one would believe that we are living in a military
dictatorship. Both of those arrested sit in a remand prison, one charged
with "resisting the authority of the state", the other faces the same
charge but with "breach of the peace" too. Both are prudent enough not
to engage the police in such a manner as to result in their arrest. It
appears that proof is not required by the authorities. The arrest warrant
from the 16th March included an extension of the time that these
people could be held for. These tactics win time for the authorites to
fabricate charges. Proof enough is in the fact that the public prosecutor,
Risa Schumeister-Schmatral, is known to be from the Law and Order
far right part of the the OEVP. The two prisoners
were aware of the prosecutors participation (with massive criticism
from her fellow party members - Standard, 17.3) in an FPOE style action
against Leftwing groups, whom she believes have a terrorist network
behind them, which she will expose in a case against the left. There is
an incompatibility between political ambition and a public prosecutor's
authority to deliver justice.
Standing behind these procedings is an attack on the politcal structure
behind which a large part of the resistance gather. Both prisoners have
distributed leaflets from the "Law Society" (who document arrests,
attacks and seek to organise support for those arrested. These remain
fundemental to the backing of the protest against the government and
a thorn in the side of the prosecutor.) Fortunately the arrest of the two
men was recorded by a camera crew from the Green Party. The pictures
were shown on ZIB1 on ORF on the 6th March. On the 8th March the
police stormed an office of the Green Party where "illegal" immigrants
are informed about their rights
The given reason was that they had an anonymous telephone call, and that
they were searching for a black African who had weapons. Naturally they find
neither a black man nor any weapons, the whole thing was seen as nothing but
a lie, the police though managed to arrest some persons and put them in an
immigration prison. On the 10th March a translator who had been at
the meeting, told ZIB3 that he asked a policeman for his police number
(in Austria this is an obligation for the police) he replied "If you start
like this, we'll come every day!"
This attack has more dangeous aspects:
1) It seems rather obvious that this attack was a revenge for the arrests
after the opernball demonstration. It can also be seen as an attempt to
curb the amount of resistance to the government by political parties.
2) Political parties enjoy a constitution of given houserights (the searched
building is the office of the Green Party for the 4th 5th and 6th districts of
Vienna!) that the police authorities can't easily enter a building of a
political party, especially on an anonymous telphone call. This is a
dangerous occurence.
3) If it is possible that "illegal" people in an advice centre are arrested,
every eventuality will be taken to grant asylum.
This FPOE/OEVP government points clearly that their mainifesto they
outlined at the swearing in of the government is is not worth the paper it
is printed on. This government exists as one party, the FPOE ,and they
drink from the same cup as old nazis and a party like the OEVP will
not distance itself from Austrian Fascism. Both only look to their
roots and they are not able to govern longer. The knowledge that these
parties are in charge of the security apparatus of Austria and that they
threaten the rights of people, is not easy to accept.
The protestors need more support.
Repression besides Police encroachment.
There are obviously many methods of silencing the opposition.
Especially endangered are individuals who come out against the FPOE
or the government. An example is the women's representative in
Kaernten, after her crticism of Joerg Haider and his policies for women,
without more ado she was relieved of her post. Also after mistakes in
the subsidy of the women's advice centre, especially in relation to the
unfinished women's centre Kosmos in Vienna, show how deeply the
fear of women has reached in to the government. Both cases show
repression and fear.
What threats were issued hurt the FPOE in such an accustomed
manner. The FPOE in Salzburg demanded to cancel subsidies for cultural
offices, who support the demonstrations against the government.
Joerg Haider stated in his Ash wednesday speech in Ried, once more
that press criticism of the media was in question:"Of course the
newspapers will carry on writing: "He has carried on issuing
threats." He tells no lies (???). It is totally normal, when I feed a dog
and it bites me, then I stop feeding the dog in case it bites me again."
(APA) The comparatively critical media, with its biting dogs, remember
the speeches by the previous FPOE Or how he, Joerg Haider, said so
beautifully in 1994: "When I have something to say it will be kept in
the editorial and in the future their will be fewer lies and more truth
than now." The Upper Austrian news in February had one of their
editorials discredited because it had written too critically of the
government. The pressure grew on the journalist of ORF (because
everything goes through Westenthaler from the FPOE), who were
clearly against the FPOE.
People who are against this government often recieved annoymous
threats.
Elfriede Jelnik received threatening letters, two were to her not to the
public available private address. The Evangelical superintendant,
Gertraud Knoll, who has always been a committed anti-racist, also at
the big rally in Vienna on the 19th February, where she was a speaker,
was subjecz to a dirty tricks campaign. Somone from the FPOE
dominated "The Evangelical Christian Platform" and forced Knoll to
back down, because she wouldn't listen to a word he said "this was to
the disadvantage of the Evangelical Church." In the mean time she got
threatening phone calls and annoymous letters saying such things as
"It is a shame Hitler didn't gas you." (Standard 7 and 8 March) It is
important to mention that the police had advised Mrs. Knoll, that
finger prints and voice samples from her children should be taken in
case of a kidnapping! Where are we living exactly?
The chairman of the Israeli cultural community, Ariel Muzicant, is
not spared from the FPOE. Joerg Haider took him to court because he
claimed that Haider was anti-semetic. In fact Haider allways tolerated
anti-semetic statements of his followers in the FPOE.
We could write books on this subject (more about that in Profil No.
11/2000) therefore we call for actual quotes. The FP-Euro-M.P.,
Sichrovsky, has in the Slovenian newspaper "Delo" described
Muzicant as an "intelligent idiot, gold digger and a professional Jew."
All that Chancellor Schuessel could say was "The tone has, at the
moment, increased to something too hysterical". Too hysterical?
Since the election of the FPOE have the number of anti-semetic attacks
increased dramitically. Many Jewish people are affraid. The coalition
between Wolfgang Schuessel and the FPOE was a slap in the face for
these people.
All this has happened in a few weeks.
The police's daily methods, the right-right coalition that has now
become law were all planned by the last government. They had, for all
in need of asylum, worked out who fitted the picture of the "black drug
dealer". It came under the frame of the SP/VP "operation spring" to
systematically persue people with a dark skin colour. With the ensuing
"court cases", with anonymous witnesses, the defendants no chance for
real defence.
Through the FPOE/OEVP-government will the extreme right wing
experience power
For the shamefull attack on "illegal" people, on anti-fascists, but also for
facists acting like mad men, anti-semetic attacks, for racist attacks
(onthe 1st March a Nigerian in Innsbruck was attacked by Neo-nazis
witha knife and badly injured.) is this government fully answerable.
The OEVP does not stand alone, but is as guilty as the FPOE! they have
given the extreme right power through the coalition.
All this because Wolfgang Schuessel wanted to be chancellor!
People have been arrested, injured and many are affraid.
This is the first step on the road to an authoratarian regime.
Only through a strong opposition, without exception, will a suitable
end be reached.
From here:
-We demand that everyone protests against this government!
-The release of the prisoners!
-We demand unimpeded press freedom!
-We demand an international statecommunity, the Austrian
government is removed by all means and to support every opposition
in Austria!
-International attention to the FPOE!
-We demand the international media correct the position of Austria!
-End this government!
Oekologische Linke (Postfach 28, A-1153 Vienna,
Oekologische.Linke@reflex.at)
Revolutionsbraeuhof (Hahngasse 15, A-1190, tel. 0043 1 /31076 93,
rbh@inode.at)
Rosa Antifa Wien (c/o Rosa Lila Tip, Linke Wienzeile 102, A-1060
Wien, raw@swi.priv.at)
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