Everything is fine in Austria?
The three "Wise Men" have spoken, the bilateral measures of the EU 14 have been lifted. Austria itself moves within the frame of European "worth", the only thing that is wrong is the FPOe (the report actually doesn't give good references to the FPOe at all), especially the justice minister Boehmdorfer. That is in part correct, but what actually does that mean for Austria, and what light does this cast on Europe? Some things should be clarified: The measures of the EU 14 were not due to the possible racist or even fascist politics of the right-extreme right coalition government of Austria, but because such a combination constitutes a taboo break in post-war history, above all in Austria. With it, there is something else to make clear: Austria has not been, as some like to maintain, a victim of the Nazis, but had higher than average involvement with the crimes. If the Austrian foreign minister thinks that Austria was the victim because the Nazis murdered the Austrian fascist Dollfuss, it is not an acquittal in the historical sense. In Austria nothing is fine. The European "worth" can, at best, cover over the trails.
Keyword: Asylum Politics
It is true, if asserted, that Austria itself does not
stand out too much from other European states as far
as restrictive asylum politics are concerned. There
have also been accidental deaths with deportation in
all Europe states. We have always pointed out that
these politics are contemptuous of human life and therefore
have always severely criticised the EU. But what in
Austria is different, is how this is dealt with. If
there are protests against the murder by Austrian police
officers of the Nigerian Marcus Omofuma during his
deportation, the fabrication of the African drug dealer
(spread by the SPOe home office, at the time under
Karl Schloegl, the police, the Kronen Zeitung, and
who else, the FPOe) comes up, and there are over 100
migrants in prison after having been judged in show
trials, then these fabrications work well enough to
make the people vote for the FPOe as they do things
effectively.
Admittedly, it is right that all of this was already
in place due to the predecessors of the FPOe and that
the FPOe hasn't especially forced these points, BUT:
the accidental deaths in connection with (suspected)
drug offences in police custody or with official duty
have, since the formation of the government, increased.
Just as how the opinion in the population has become
more racist and authoritarian, so has the law.
In relation to the law:
It was accurately stated that since the FPOe have participated in the government, a wave of condemnation against FPOe opponents has taken place. That is perhaps partly because of the desire to obediently rush to the fore denouncing those behind you, but also, more importantly, because the legal system has for a long time been infiltrated by German national "Burschenschaftern"(an established extreme right wing student organisation who come from the same camp as parts of the FPOe), who now let their convictions run free.
And the OeVP?
It is, strictly speaking, a party that was produced out of the Austrian fascist camp. That does not mean that the OeVP are fascists but, with an extreme right wing governmental partner, it is now enjoying an authoritarian life. This particular trend has the upper hand in the OeVP, and anti-Semitism comments on the forced worker debate can be heard in these circles too.
The floodgates open
The FPOe governmental participation has now become respected as normal, OeVP officials themselves can now show their disregard for the Jewish people, SPOe politicians (eg. the former Home Secretary Schloegl) can sense whether or not to change the relationship to the FPOe. And what comes next? The FPOe strengthens their power structure in Austria. The extreme right has, in contrast to the left, successfully started to march through the institutions of power.
We congratulate
In retrospect the sanctions have caused two different things. On one side the government were able to implement measures (social aggravation, reduction of basic rights....) which probably would have been fundamentally harder to achieve had they not disappeared in the fog of sanctions. On the other side, these sanctions have also prevented worse repression.
Oh, Europe!
If all that corresponds to the European "worth",
Europe isn't up to much (what we anyway have not believed),
or as the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" correctly
stated, then "Haider is Europe".
If Europe means: Active racism, No more opposition,...
we can only say:
