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Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 04:13:26 +0000
To: Elena Zdravomyslova <[log in to unmask]>
From: Melanie Mauthner <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Austria
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>Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2000 22:57:45 GMT
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>From: [log in to unmask] (D. Leonard)
>Subject: Another example (fwd)
>
>
>>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 17:56:07 -0500 (EST)
>>From: Angela Miles <[log in to unmask]>
>>Subject: Another example (fwd)
>>
>>
>>Enclosed the Declaration of the Austrian antiracist movement concerning
>>the situation in Austria.
>>
>>You can also check the following links:
>>
>>http://gegenschwarzblau.cjb.net/
>>http://www.t0.or.at/gettoattack/
>>http://www.magenta.nl/crosspoint/haider.html
>>
>>
>>*************************************************************************
>>
>>(Plattform fuer eine Welt ohne Rassismus, Schottengasse 3A/1/59 1010 Wien)
>>
>>We do not feel obliged to claim Austria's "innocence". The to-be
>>government is in support of the majority of Austria's population. We have
>>no reason to claim Haider is "just another" populist. He is not. He is a
>>populist that operates with xenophobia, racism and the denial of the
>>Holocaust.
>>
>>The major threat is not the increase of direct violence against
>>minorities. The major threat is the signal that far right agitation and
>>action is not only ok but earns you a place in government. As opportunism
>>is one of the most prominent features of the "Austrian mentality", this is
>>a severe political danger.
>>
>>We have reason to be afraid of
>>* the final end of refugee or integration policies
>>* increasing xenophobia, racism and even antisemitism, because Austia has
>>never faced its past and now people have governmental legitimation for
>>such attitudes
>>* law and order policies instead of co-operative strategies to deal with
>>crime and conflict
>>* abolition of progressive women's policies (e.g. the post of the minister
>>for women's affairs will be cancelled and replaced by an extended family
>>ministery)
>>* severe restrictions to freedom of art, especially where it puts a finger
>>on the state of the Austrian society (already, in Carinthia, artists are
>>faced with political limitations to their work)
>>* restrictions to the freedom of press, because subsidies for critical
>>media products will most certainly be cut down
>>
>>we don't know yet what to do about it.
>>we need both your solidarity and your ongoing critisism.
>>don't stop looking at our country.
>>
>>To the international community
>>
>>Declaration of the Austrian antiracist movement
>>
>>In this moment of Austrian history we are deeply concerned with the
>>political developments in our country. For more than 10 years, many NGOs,
>>initiatives and smaller parties have tried to change the austrian racist
>>reality without success.
>>
>>In the new millenium, Austria still is not a democracy but a national
>>democracy. More than 10 % of our population is systematically denied all
>>political rights and participation, often even for decades, they are kept
>>in the status of "foreigners".
>>Even in the trade-unions, there are no equal voting rights for all workers
>>and employees. This system, guaranteeing equality not to human beeings but
>>to citizens only, is unique in Europe. Since a democratic system has been
>>imposed on Austria after World War II, not only the conservatives and the
>>right wing, but also the governing social democrats fortified this system
>>of nationalistic and racist segregation and exclusion. This lack of
>>balance in the political system led to the uprising of a party that is
>>openly promoting a revision of Nazi history, using racism as an effective
>>political tool due to the lack of a counterveilling power.
>>
>>Even the killing of Marcus Omofuma during his deportation on May 1st 1999
>>did not lead to any antiracist measures. On the contrary, police action,
>>especially against people with African background, increased drastically.
>>Charles O., major activist, writer and poet from Nigeria, was even accused
>>of being a drug-boss and imprisoned for 3 months, before he had to be
>>released due to complete lack of evidence and major charges were dropped.
>>Nevertheless these practices led to significant intimidation of the Black
>>communities in their political campaigning.
>>
>>Under such unfair conditions of criminalisation and the lack of democratic
>>rights, we welcome initiatives from the side of the international
>>community that put pressure on Austrian representatives. Austria is facing
>>a drastic swing to the right. With a right-conservative government things
>>will even get worse for people discriminated on grounds of racism,
>>including the Jewish minority, as well as for people discriminated on the
>>grounds of sexual orientation, sexual identity or on the grounds of being
>>physically handicaped.
>>
>>For some years now, Austria is known in the European Union for ist
>>attempts to radically alter the politics towards a demontage of the Geneva
>>Convention and the denial of asylum for refugees. Austria has become the
>>home-base for right-wing policies, threatening emancipatory movements all
>>over Europe. Therefore it is in the self-interest of all democratic powers
>>in Europe to try to reverse the political currents in Austria. We want to
>>encourage all international steps in this direction, hoping that the
>>European Union at least has learned from history, while the official
>>Austria has not.
>>
>>Under any government to come, Austria should finally change towards a fair
>>democratic system which includes the right to vote for all permanent
>>inhabitants, in which there is an anti-discrimination-law with respective
>>enforcement, in which immigrants are not treated as enemies and in which
>>human rights are really respected.
>>
>>
>>Platform for a world without racism
>>
>>Vienna, 1.2.2000
>>
>>(Please distribute this declaration to your regional and national media as
>>well as to politicians).
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>

Dr Melanie Mauthner
Culture, Communication and Societies
Institute of Education
University of London
20 Bedford Way
London WC1H 0AL
Tel: 0171 612 6398
Fax: 0171 612 6177






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