Welcome to the new edition of evil:austria!

We're pretty late with this issue of evil:austria, but anyway, it's the first time we're so late and we believe this issue has become even more interesting (albeit not more positive....)

Once again, for newcomers, an explanation what this newsletter is about and why we produce it:

evil:austria is our monthly newsletter providing information about the situation in Austria (and regarding the consequences of FPOe/OeVP government). We decided to produce this newsletter since we realized that knowledge regarding the actual situation in Austria is not very widespread abroad. The government, after discussions about EU-'sanctions' against Austria were dropped, succeeded in removing the daily insanity from the attention of the international public. Meanwhile 'sanctions' have been lifted, which almost all political groups here celebrated as a victory, and the 'interest' taken in the development in Austria has decreased even more. The 'normalisation' of the right-wing/right-extreme government continues, and therefore information about the aggravation of the situation in Austria is even more important. It is therefore highly desired that you spread this newsletter as widely as possible, so that as many people as possible get to know about the situation in Austria. So please spread, spread, spread this. Of course you may also use this material (also in excerpts) for magazines and papers, but we would be glad if you sent us a short mail in this case.

Any criticism and comments please send to (if possible, please write in German or English):

raw@raw.at

Have fun!

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[1] Haider and Anti-Semitism
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[2] Wymyns politics a la Austria
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[3] The right justice
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[4] P.T.O. ...
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[5] Forstinger's embarassments (1)
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[6] Forstinger's embarassments (2)
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[7] When FPOe feels like laughing...
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[8] And what happens when FPOe are not amused
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[9] FPOe and copyrights
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[10] No press freedom in Austria
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[11] FPOe and "freed zones"
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[12] Thrashings and repression
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[13] Foreign crime rate
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[14] Haider's big plans
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[15] FPOe meets Italian rightwing politicians
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[16] No mercy for drug dealers
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[17] No mercy for gay persons
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[18] No place for humyn rights
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[19] Evictions made easy
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[1] Haider and Anti-Semitism
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In Austria, anti-semitism has always been spread widely. Still, the OeVP/FPOe government managed to cause a change: There is an increasing number of openly anti-semitic comments. Lately, Joerg Haider joined in again when he 'amused' his audience with anti-semitic comments.

Feb 21, 2001:
"Mr Haeupl (SPOe mayor of Vienna) has got a new strategist, by the name of Greenberg... (audience laughing loudly)... He flew him in from the East Coast! Dear friends, now you can choose between Spin Doctor Greenberg from the East Coast or between the heart of Vienna... (loud applause)... We don't need any calls from the East Coast ("East Coast is a synonym for 'Jews' used by Haider, ed. note). We had enough of this (very loud applause)".

Feb 28, 2001:
"Mr Ariel Muzikant (president of the Israelite Community, ed. note): I don't understand at all how a person called Ariel can have so many dirt on his shoes [Ariel is a brand of washing powder here, transl. note].... (laughter and applause)... I don't understand this at all, but I am sure (3 words unclear, pause) ... he will comment this already tomorrow, won't he.... (laughter).... but I am not easily frightened regarding these matters (again laughter)."

His not being frightened easily in these matters is easily explained, since he does not have to be afraid of having to face consequences for such comments....

Nobody - except for the opposition - demands Haider to step down or even criticizes his comments. OeVP for a long time refused to give any comment to Haider's words or even condemn them. Only when international pressure increased, the high-up members in OeVP were prompted to give a comment (and only regarding the attack against Ariel Muzikant). They did not, however, condemn Haider's words. Haider himself increases the attacks against the president of the Israelite Community: Muzikant "proved not to be a good Austrian in a critical phase" and said that Muzikant had pretended abroad that Jewish persons were again endangered in Austria and had thus badmouthed the country, therefore Muzikant would have to tolerate Haider's pun, only spoken "in jest", about Ariel and dirt on his shoes... the political correct society of the decent persons were just after his "joke" about Muzikant, but he was not prepared to be banned from criticizing Muzikant as Muzikant had declared war on a government which was elected democratically.

The fact is that the number of anti-semitic attacks and hate-crimes has increased considerably since the last national elections.

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[2] Wymyns politics a la Austria
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Mr Wymyn's Minister has been in office for 4 months now and is not to be noted for committed wymyn's politics. Instead he surprised Austrian wymyn shortly prior to the International Wymyn's Day: while the government gets done with the Wymyn's Ministry, and Mr Wymyn's Minister effects severe funding cuts for wymyn's projects and introduces a "Back to the kitchen" politics, a myn's department will be set up. This is meant to fund and support myn's projects and myn's houses. Mr Wymyn's Minister knows what he does - he is member of a rightwing fraternity, and fraternities are myn's houses, after all.....

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[3] The right justice
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The fact that investigations in the informers' affair against Joerg Haider and Lower Austrian politician Stadler were not really serious is already indicated by the fact that both persons have never been inquired by authorities. When asked about this curious fact, the judge mentioned that this needs a respective application from the General Prosecutors which was never submitted.

The General Prosecutor in charge, Herr Harald Eisenmenger, is not exactly a complete unknown. He has been an activist in the scene of "Aktion Neue Rechte" (ANR - Action New Right) which was banned by authorities for violating the law against NS-activities. He has been a supporter of Norbert Burger, a Neo-Nazi South Tyrolean running for president. He has been an active member of a rightwing fraternity under the frat name of "Wahnfried".

Also Eisenmenger's boss cannot be said to be too critical of FPOe - he happened to have taken part in a small, and given the massive anti-government protests: also very courageous, group marching for a participation of FPOe in the government...

And as this is the way things go, Minister of Justice - and Haider's personal lawyer - Boehmdorffer did not even have to give any orders to scotch inquiries on behalf of the informers' affair ...

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[4] P.T.O. ...
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This comment apparently should be written on each potential piece of evidence, otherwise Austrian authorities have difficulties finding the correct proceedings: for six months now, a letter evaluated as evidence in the informers' affair (cf last issues of evil:austria) has been in the possession of the investigating authorities. It is quite apparent that investigations against FPOe are proceding in a very reluctant way.

But police really managed, after six months, to turn a piece of paper: a letter written by Haider's body-guard Binder, an incriminating and allegedly forged letter. There are hand-written notes on its flip side which probably could effect some progress in investigations - provided, of course, that police, General Prosecutors and Minister of Justice would want such progress....

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[5] Forstinger's embarassments (1)
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During a press conference at a summit on infrastructure, the Prime Ministers of Eastern Austrian federal states introduced their infrastructural concepts. Among them a request for improving the train connections to the East, given the EU plans to take up Eastern European members. However, Minister of Infrastructure Ms Forstinger flew off the handle. She smelled a rat and "treason against Austria".
It really is reprehensible: railroads to foreign countries, when it is so nice here...

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[6] Forstinger's embarassments (2)
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Minister of Infrastructure Ms Monika Forstinger again caused commotion with a decree for changing the dialling codes in Austria. The plan had been dropped by her predecessor after severe protests from almost all effected parties. Therefore, this decree immediately raised considerable protest from business and political circles, and so the decree happened to be an ex-decree within a mere two hours(!). Forstinger presented herself as a victim of a plot by officials in her ministry. But she would have
been spared all this if she only stuck to a not very complicated basic rule: read first, then undersign!

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[7] When FPOe feels like laughing...
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... they come up with things like this:

"The term "anti-fascism" goes back to the Austrian term "faschieren", which means to put through a meat grinder, and expresses a protest against the prevailing culture of mince-meat balls which, coming from Germany, are known as 'Hamburgers'".

This is just one example from the really funny "Wordbook of Change" on the FPOe homepage which has been compiled by FPOe General Secretary Peter Sichrovsky.

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[8] And what happens when FPOe are not amused
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At a presentation of candidates for the FPOe list for the elections in Vienna, one of the candidates meant to show a special sense of humour (as he later explained) and remarked: "I like it very much, being in a brown party". Since 'brown' usually is attributed to Nazis, his party colleagues did not find this too amusing, and therefore the candidate decided to step down as a candidate. The only problem: the lists have been completed and handed in and no changes can be effected. So this bloke after all is a politician who stepped down before being elected.

The bloke sets a nice example!

But he would have fitted in very nicely - given his comment: "I don't have any problems with any racist or xenophobe issues. I don't see this like the political adversaries do."

P.S. Meanwhile, he has stepped down from stepping down from stepping down.
Any more questions ;)))

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[9] FPOe and copyrights
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Even if they represent themselves as a 'Law and Order' party, FPOe apparently has some problems understanding some parts of the "Law":

After getting into difficulty last month for stealing graphics from English designer Neville Brody in a very unsophisticated way, they're up shit's creek again this month: FPOe produced a CD with games which was sent to young people, and they did not ask any permission to use a piece of music by Richard Strauss, "Also sprach Zarathustra".

To top this, FPOe neglected to give a special number on this CD which will indicate where they got the addresses from. This, too, is an offence...

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[10] No press freedom in Austria
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Severe criticism has been raised regarding Austrian media by the organisation "Journalists without Borders". In a report published recently, the organisation criticizes "many personal attacks against journalists, a flood of legal actions against the press and an inflation of interventions regarding the editing in public TV stations".

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[11] FPOe and "freed zones"
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At an FPOe election rally for the upcoming Vienna elections on March 25, FPOe city councillor Nikolaus Amhof according to witnesses "promised" that his party will see to it that the 9th district in Vienna will become free of foreigners.
In this district, by the way, a black person was stabbed by three white persons who remain unknown. Just like that.

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[12] Thrashings and repression
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During the traditional protest march against the Opera Ball, there was severe misconduct by Vienna police. Protesters were chased across town by a massive police presence. Several dozen persons were injured, some of them severely. Police actions have merely been criticized since many passers-by and journalists were injured by furious officers. At least 42 persons were arrested who meanwhile are free again.

As already happened last year, football hooligans were among the protesters, and this year, there were also hooded provocateurs from the ranks of Vienna police. These are at least in part members of a new special unit in Vienna, the so-called "Central Command" [ZK - Zentrale Kommandierung]. This is a group of volunteer officers acting without pay and who may be called in for special commands. According to their concept and given the personnel it recruited, ZK is a follow-up for the "special unit criminal services" (SEK) who was dissolved last year. SEK got renowned e.g. for dragging two protesters against last year's Opera Ball out of a taxi with drawn guns, and one officer shot dead an alleged unarmed hashish dealer (cf evil:austria 0600). The only difference between ZK and SEK is that the new unit does not have formal structures, and therefore does not have responsible persons....

After the Opera Ball demo, more than 300 heavily armed and hooded officers stormed an autonomous housing and cultural project, Ernst-Kirchweger-Haus (EKH) in the Vienna neighbourhood of Favoriten. Almost all doors were forced open without warning (also legally protected editorial rooms of a magazine), inhabitants and guests were thrown to the ground or against walls, some were handcuffed, persons asleep were dragged out of bed, some at gun-point, and persons not able to get dressed quick enough, was made to lie down naked on a concrete floor for the next time. While lying there, they were verbally abused and threatened by police officers.

Police did not find anything and was not able to arrest anybody, so that police reckon this action to be a failure. Just OeVP Minister of the Interior Strasser fantasizes about guns and an arms manufacture having been found. His evidence: 5 stones (!), waste metal parts found in the metal workshop (!!), and a metal grid allegedly used to produce arms but which in reality was used for events in the EKH (!!).
And what a coincidence: a photographer from rightwing yellow press "Kronen-Zeitung" took part in the police action - only wicked minds will think of this being connected in any way with the Vienna election campaign....

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[13] Foreign crime rate
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A good example for FPOe's xenophobe election campaign:

Vienna FPOe had pickets put up covering several issues, so e.g. foreigners, crime rate, and drugs. Pickets were combined in a "clever" way, as FPOe has it, by sheer coincidence, so that the first two were placed right next to each other, thus reading: foreign crime rate. Now what's really inconvenient for FPOe is that a written order to the company putting up the pickets has appeared in public - which says that FPOe ordered the company to put up the pickets in exactly this way. So this is an incident of not-coincidential racism.

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[14] Haider's big plans
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Carinthian Prime Minister and former FPOe chairman Joerg Haider announced that he will form a list of European rightwing parties for the elections to the European Parliament in the year 2004. He plans to "join forces as an alternative to the present Europe" with this list. He did not make any more precise statements, but we can imagine whom he has in mind for a chairperson of such an movement.....

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[15] FPOe meets Italian rightwing politicians
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FPOe confirmed that they plan a meeting with "known persons" from Northern Italy after the Italian parliamentary elections, but did not want to give more precise information yet. It leaked, however, that Giancarlo Gentilini, mayor of Treviso, will participate. Gentilini won some fame for his statement, iilegal and criminal immigrants should be "put into bunny costumes, so that the hunters will have a chance to practice".

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[16] No mercy for drug dealers
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This was FPOe's slogan during the last national elections. Now, the maximum sentence for drug dealing was increased to a life sentence. As FPOe says, this will apply to most severe cases - with which they most probably mean: if you got the 'wrong' passport, the 'wrong' colour, and if an anonymous witness (cf. evil:austria 0600) is paid, blackmailed or otherwise threatened into giving evidence against you, then you're in for life even without any material evidence against you ....

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[17] No mercy for gay persons
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This seems to be the OeVP slogan: In Lower Austria, a 26-year-old man had to hand in his driving licence. He was not caught for speeding, he did not drive drunk. His "crime": he had sexual intercourse with a consenting 16-year-old. This is a crime in Austria. $ 209 says that homosexual intercourse with male persons under the age of 18 is a crime. So it is also a crime when a 19-year-old man has intercourse with a 17-year-old consenting male person. However, it is *not* a crime when a 30-year-old male person has sex with a 14 year old female person. This paragraph discriminates gay persons, and OeVP has been blocking its reform for several years.
Withdrawing the man's driving licence for homosexual intercourse was initiated by Lower Austrian Prime Minister Proell. Without a car, the man's employment is endangered. His employer told him not to show up for two weeks....

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[18] No place for humyn rights
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In the Vienna neighbourhood of Neustadt, at the "Square of Human Rights", two families were victims of a racist attack. They were attacked by the police who took them for "illegals". Just to be on the safe side, they were handcuffed and thrown onto the wet street. When police established the alleged foreigners to be Austrian citizens, they were set free again.
Injuries and damage to their car seems to be viewed as peanuts. Police investigations have been closed meanwhile....

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[19] Evictions made easy
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The government plans to change legal procedures from July 1, so that eviction will take place without involving any court of justice. Landlords will be given the right to give tenants notice to quit after failing to pay rent for four months. If tenants do not object within a given time, landlords will also be able to effect eviction. This will mean that many poor persons will become homeless.

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EPILOGUE
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See you again next month,

NO PEACE WITH AUSTRIA!!!