Welcome to the new edition of evil:austria!

The sanctions have been lifted, the E.U. can tackle more "important" projects, the Austrian government celebrates its victory. A reason to stop the newsletter? Definitely not, now it is more important to inform people about what is happening in Austria because in the future the situation in Austia will not be seen as so pressing as it is now. In this case, this edition is (unfortunately) a good example of how the situation in Austria has become worse.
Don't forget to occasionally visit our homepage (http://www.raw.at) if only to read the newsletter in another language or to use "Kontakt" to join our mailing list.
If you plan (and carry out) an action against the Austrian government, we are naturally very happy.

No social acceptance of fascism!!!

For everyone that doesn't yet know the thinking behind this newsletter and what it is suposed to be and why we write it:
evil:austria is our monthly newsletter which supplies info about the actual situation in Austria and the consequences of the new government. We have decided to produce this newsletter because we have realized that the knowledge about the real situation in Austria, especially abroad, is very limited, The government has achieved its target, that with the discusion about the "sanctions" from the European Union the daily madness in this country has vanished from the agenda of the intenational public. We want to avoid this resulting in a "normalization" of the right/extreme right Austrian government. We also do this for egoistic reasons, because international monitoring prevents things from getting even worse, at least for the moment. Therefore, it is very important to spread this newsletter as far as possible, so that as many people as possible are informed about the situation in Austria. Thus: Distribute, distribute, distribute! Feel free to use this material for other publications, but please send us a mail if you do.

Send criticism and all remarks, if posible in German or English, to;

raw@raw.at

Have fun!

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[1] The FPOe spy on their enemies
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[2] "Press freedom" in Austria
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[3] FP-the flood of law suits carries on
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[4] On Haider, Churchill and Hitler.
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[5] Anti-racist criticism? From home!
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[6] Two year old in remand centre
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[7] ....usually you would be deported
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[8] Freedom in sight
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[9] Censorship or the "Freiheit der Kunst"
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[10] Kaernten Special
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[11] "Social balance"
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[12] Women back in the kitchen?
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[13] Haider vs Bossi
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[14] Ulrichsberg 2000
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[15] (Definitely not) paid demonstrators
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[16] "Thank God" (1)
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[17] "Thank God" (2)
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[18] Post-sanction clear-up operations
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[19] Hilmar Kabas on a saftey inspection
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[1] The FPOe spy on their enemies
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Through the publishing of the new book by a former FPOe-police trade union boss, Josef Kleindienst, the FPOe have to make substantial explanations. These were due namely to details on how the FPOe have used their contact to the police for years, to collect confidential information on their opponents. So the artist Andre Heller and the christian charity Caritas, amongst others, were observed, in an attempt to discredit them. But the FPOe also fall into small traps. As Camillus K. was beaten during a police "control", the FPOe quickly had information about a witness (that did not lead to legal proceedings) though, that let K. appear as a culprit of violence, thus legitimising the police violence.
If the accusations from Kleindienst are correct (and he says he can prove everything, he says he too is guilty), then the FPOe have a well organised network of police information throughout the whole of Austria. Kleindienst asserts that he personally knows five police officers in Vienna who earn a minimum of 60.000 Schilling (3500 Euro) per year for their job as informers.
How did the FPOe react to such accusations? First they tried to ignore the accusations, then they threatened to sue, in the meantime the FPOe refrain from it. Joerg Haider maintains that he doesn't know Kleindienst (which can be easil refuted ), the FP-Head of the Parliamentary FPOe, Peter Westenthaler made a massive (22 phone calls in one day!!) attempt to prevent reporting on this affair in every Austrian television station, and answering journalists questions only with reference to scandals in other parties.

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[2] "Press freedom" in Austria
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Dieter Boehdorfer, ex-permanent solicitor, friend of Joerg Haider and current justice minister, has started a private law suit against the SPOe newspaper "Freitag aktuell". The reason: they dared to quote from a parliamentary inquirey by the SPOe regarding Boehdorfer and his appointment as justice minister. In Austria people can now catch a law suit against a naked summons. Must we soon to the old days in every dictatorial society normal propaganda the fable fall back on.
To quote Boehmdorfer:"Press freedom must also have its boundaries."

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[3] FP-the flood of law suits carries on
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After Anton Pelinka (see evil:austria 0600) and "Freitag Aktuell", the Green Party of Vienna is also being sued by the FP. This time the Viennese FP chief is getting down to work, naturally with the help of Boehdorfer and his office, against a caricature of himself.
Currently there are 14 cases against people, more against newspapers, weekly magazines etc.
In Austria, all you have to do is voice criticism of the FPOe to be prosecuted. But also questions from interviews, reports about controversial statements or quotes from controvoersial statements will often land you in court.
With Andre Heller the FPOe have got cold feet and will probably let the case drop.

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[4] On Haider, Churchill and Hitler.
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In October 1999 Joerg Haider gave an interview to "Falter", the Viennese city newspaper, in which he compared Winston Churchill with Adolf Hitler. Later he refused to authorise this and consequently the publication of the interview was prohibited, but it still became public knowledge. Later in an interview with ORF, he said that it was pure invention. The journalists complained about Haider's retraction as they know and have proof that the interview took place, so Haider now (not yet absoloute) had the conviction to retract his statement on television.

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[5] Anti-racist criticism? From home!
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Maria Vassilikou, previously a Green party member and Viennese local councillor with Greek heritage, has (with all due right) in an interview with the Greek newspaper "Ethnos" commented that there is an "organised racist machine" in Austria that comes from from the "Kronnen-Zeitung". The reaction of the FPOe to this criticism was typical: Vasilikou should go back to Greece, "instead of mandatorilly taking from the Austrian tax payers, who she then internationally slanders in this disgracefull way "

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[6] Two year old in remand centre
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In Vienna a two year old child was, with his mother, imprissoned in a remand centre. The child has Austrian citizenship, the mother is Romanian and married to an Austrian. The foreign police see the mariage as a pretence. After the case leaked out, the woman and child were set free, the mother must at least promise to leave the country within two weeks.
Through the media commotion work was found for the mother, and the deportation was averted.

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[7] ....usually you would be deported
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On the 19th September a 13 year old in Villach (Kaernten) jumped from a church tower. A simple suicide? No. The boy had not coped with the every-day fascism, the barriers and permanent threats: owing to trifling things such as: smoking a cigarette, he was threatend with being reported to the police and deportation, xenophobic comments are the order of the day. In retrospect everyone rejects the guilt. Only quite a few children see it clearly:"....these people should at last wake up and understand what they and others do. They should some how change themselves ."

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[8] Freedom in sight
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The takeover of the state ORF (Austrian Radio and Television) by the Blue-Black government took place long ago, not officially but in practice. The director-general (legal chairman of the ORF) and editors excercised extreme cution. Inspite of this, the FP- doberman Peter Westenhaler and VP-Chief of the Parlimentary VP, Kohl have been constantly by the telephone ready for complaints.
For timid ironic headlines, or if presenters don't intervene quickly enough, if someone has an extreme opinion.....especially in Zeit im Bild 3 (ZIB3), are very annoying for them. Others of course react with the MittagsZIB, or FiB (Freiheitliche im Bild(Freedom in Sight)) as it is known internally in ORF. Well, the production manager, Walter Seledec, is the PR-adviser for the FPOe.
But it can/will get worse: The coalition plan a reform of ORF and the institution of a media authority, the "Kommunikations-Kommission Austria". The reforms will ensure that the Director-General, instead of the 2/3 majority required untill now, will in the future only require a simple majority. Then,the Director-General is supposed to have to stay more to the right, that means the editors who question programmes will be loudly interrupted.....
Media in Austria=censorship and control.

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[9] Censorship or the "Freedom of Art"
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"Drahdiwaberl", a band who have been politically provocative for 30 years, must destroy all of the copies their of their new C.D. The company lawyer and the record company have come to the conclusion that the C.D. "Torte statt Worte" (Pies instead of words (a word play on the custard pie attack on the boss of the Viennese FPOe Hilmar Kabas)) would not be able to be released, they are afraid that they would be prosecuted. "Drahbiwaberl" were given the ultimatum, either remove the song "Schulterschluss", in which the FPOe politicians are mentioned in an unfriendly way, or they can forget the whole C.D.
This sitution is experienced at the moment by many artists. The stifling of critical artistic content is, for the extreme right in Austria, a tried and tested tactic for maintaining power. For fear that everyone will start to practice premature obedience.
The end of the story: the cover of the C.D. was changed and the song "Schulterschlus" was removed from the C.D and released through the internet as an MP3.

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[10] Kaernten Special
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The actress Judy Winter appeared in Klagenfurt a few weeks ago, and wanted to take a collection for AIDS sufferers at every play in which she appeared. These collections were prohibited in Klagenfurt, the resason being: "There are no homosexuals in Kaernten and no AIDS".
We don't know who forbid the collections, but that is not important, the important point is: It accomplishes premature obedience. Welcome to Haiderland. Kaernten is a test run for the whole of Austria.

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[11] "Social balance"
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Immediately after the summer holiday, the FPOe/OeVP government presented a hotchpotch of measures that are supposed to restore the Austrian budget under the title of "Social Balance". As this happens to be the case with such measures, they are far from being socially balanced. For example, the free entry to universities, which was established in the 70's, is to be abolished and, from Autumn 2001, the students must pay 5000 Schilling (375 Euro) per semester for studying. A measure that is going to reduce the number of students rapidly, in a country, where the quota of academics is extremely low anyway. By the way, the minister responsible, education minister Gehrer (OeVP) totally rejected tuition fees until only a month ago.
Also, in future no unemployment benefit will be payed after a conjoint dismissal, the free insurance of the spouse (who doesn't have any kids!!!) will be abolished, fees will be increased massively, and other "socially acceptable" measures are in planning...

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[12] Women back into the kitchen?
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This government has a specific view of women: Women are supposed to have babies and stay at home. First the womens' ministry was disbanded and instead of whic a spors ministry established. Many womens' advice centres are afraid of closure, all have to cope with serious financial problems. The new measures of the government are further attacks against women: The free insurance of the partner has been removed, except when she has a child. After the divorce both parents automatically have the rights to care for the children, therefore women are easier to place under presaure. All price increases (heating oil, electricity, gas...), student fees etc. hit the socialy "weak",this includes many women andespecially single parents.

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[13] Haider vs Bossi
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In an interview with the Italian daily newspaper "La Stampa" Umberto Bossi, the leader of the secessionist Lega Nord, stated that the governor of Kaernten and the helmsman of the FPOe,"Joerg Haider is a political transvestite, he is not what he appears to be, he works for the Free Masons and the Communists."
This is what happens when two right extremists cross swords.

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[14] Ulrichsberg 2000
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On the 1st OctoberThe Kaernten governor Joerg Haider held a speech at the well known Ullrichsberg meeting. This is counted as the most important extreme right international congress. To applaus from 2000 (SS-) war veterans, comrades, Burschenschaften, party friends and local politicians he praised the "courage" of those who attended the Ulrichsberg congress that "despite the condemnation, it still takes place". For Haider Ulrichsberg is a "sign that tolerance is still alive"-Tolerance between old and Neo-nazis, loyalty to the homeland and eternal yesterdays....

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[15] (Definitely not) paid demonstrators
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On the 10th October is the 80th aniversary of the referendum that secured Kaernten remaining in Austria. One date that someone like the governor Joerg Haider finds very important. So he decided that this should be a bank holiday. He decided this without asking the business community who, naturally, were against this. But, Haider is never one for casual retractions so he threatened a withdrawl of a (already budgeted) 40 million schilling (circa 3 million Euro) subsidy from the economy, and promises the participants of the celebratary parade a 400-800 schilling (30-60 Euro) lump sum.
To end, the people who attend the parade and take the money have the honour of being the first professional demonstrators in Austria.

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[16] "Thank God" (1)
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...is what Wolfgang Schuessel and some of his fellow party members probably thought when the went on a pilgrimage to Mariazell in order to thank the EU for lifting the sanctions against Austria.

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[17] "Thank God" (2)
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...is what bishop Laun probably thought when some Americn pseudo-scientist explained to him that homosexuality was curable. Now he wants to create church institutions in which gays cn finally be "cured". After that, they will be reaccepted into the bosom of the church. But: "Someone who will not be cured will be said goodbye to kindly."

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[18] Post-sanction clear-up operations
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What was the first thing the government did after the lifting of the sanctions by the EU-14? Exactly: Searching for scapegoats. So the FPOe and OeVP immediately summoned an emergency sitting of the National Assembly in which the question how far the opposition parties are to be blamed for the sanctions should be clarified...

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[19] Hilmar Kabas on a saftey inspection
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The FPOe boss, Hilmar Kabas, keeps us in a good mood. After he was the victim of a custard pie attack earlier this year, then the description of the president as a lump (or hump or dump, see evil:austria 0600), he comes into difficulty this time through a book from a one time party friend. In the book, a politician is described (it is not difficult to recognise him as Kabas) who, with other party members, visited a brothel and charged the visit to the FPOe. Kabas confirms he was there, along with journalists ( from the Kronen Zeitung) and personal representatives of the executives, only to make a "saftey inspection" in "Playgirl". And: eventually the brothel was offically closed down. Ironically, it was more than two years later that this happened and what is more ridiculous is that it was not shut down, but that the bussines voluntarilly closed to operate as a larger brothel somewhere else.
To quote Kabas:"If there is abuse anywhere in Vienna, then I see it as my task to look into it." Now, that is reallllly conscientious......

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EPILOGUE
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NO PEACE WITH AUSTRIA!!!