Austria: a call for an nationwide Day of Action for the Freedom of Movement and the Right of Abode (”Bleiberecht”) on October 10th, 2008 has been published by organisations who had attended the coference Bleiberecht jetzt! earlier this year in Linz. A first preparation-meeting has been suggested for August 11th. Alongside the Day of Action, two campaings - Fensterpolitik (”window-politics”) and Bleiberecht für alle! (”right of abode for everyone”) - have been started, asking citzens to exhibit posters claiming the right of abode in their flat’s windows.

download A4-poster

After a number of spectacular cases in the past months, where whole families had been deported after years of residence in Austria, a broad solidarity movement has evolved in many regions of the country. With it’s main claim, the right of abode of foreign families who have become very much part of local communities, the movement is directly confronting the government’s strict policy on deportation. Only a couple of days ago, a campaign was launched in order to prevent the deportation of two families, who have been living and working in Austrian cities for many years, whose children are attending local schools and are part of the local soccer-team.

The split-up of the governmental coalition between the Social-democrats and the Conservatives in June resulted in general elections scheduled for the end of September. Fearing to loose votes to right-extremist parties, the Conservatives have started the concentrate on migration-policies as one of their main themes for the election-campaign, whereas the Social-democrats have picked up an EU-critical policy strongly supported by Austria’s strongest and far-right tabloid, Kronen Zeitung. The far right on their hand, react with even more extreme policies - Jörg Haider, founder of the small nationalist party BZÖ and governor of its stronghold, the southern province of Carinthia, has started to actually deport asylum-seekers to other provinces under dubious pretences.

With the introduction of the election campaingns by the end of summer, it is to fear that the situation for asylum-seekers and migrants will get even worse. The day of action intends to visibly oppose xenophoby and to rise public awareness for introduction of the right of abode to the Austrian legislation.

After the dramatic 3-2 win of the Turkish football-team against the team of the Czech Republic, thousands of fans went on the streets of Vienna not least to claim the right to stay for all citizens without a valid EU-passport as well as demanding the abolition of the current migration-laws.

More information on the issue is available at no-racism.net and igbildendekunst.at. A free poster “Bleiberecht für alle!” can be obtained here.

Am Morgen des 12. Juni ist in einem Klagenfurter Flüchtlingsheim Feuer ausgebrochen, unter den BewohnerInnen brach in der Folge Panik aus. Da die Fenster im Erdgeschoss vergittert waren und das Feuer den Eingangsbereich unpassierbar machte, sprangen einige der BewohnerInnen aus den Fenstern im ersten Stock. Dabei starb ein 42-jähriger Mann aus Ghana, mehrere Personen trugen Verletzungen davon.

Das Feuer dürfte in einer Nische neben dem Eingang entstanden sein. Obwohl das Gebäude sich nur rund zwei Kilometer vom EM-Stadion entfernt befindet, in dem am selben Tag das Spiel zwischen der kroatischen und der deutschen Mannschaft stattfand, wurde von Seiten der Polizei von Beginn an ein Zusammenhang mit der Fussball-EM kategorisch ausgeschlossen. Vielmehr käme eine “natürliche Ursache”, wie ein Defekt im Haus selbst oder aber eine gezielte Brandstiftung zwischen verfeindeten Asylwerbergruppen infrage, mutmasste Landespolizeikommandant Wolfgang Rauchegger gegenüber dem Standard. Kärntens Landeshautmann Jörg Haider vermutete umgehend eine Auseinandersetzung von “zwei verfeindete Gruppen der Drogenmafia”.

Nur einen Tag später vermeldete der Leiter der Kriminalabteilung des Landeskriminalamtes Kärnten, Hermann Klammer, dass der Vorfall aufgeklärt sei: im - entgegen der Hausordnung abgelegten - Müll im Erdgeschoß seien einige Zigarettenstummel gefunden worden, ein solcher dürfte das Feuer offenbar verursacht haben. Brandbeschleuniger seinen hingegen keine gefunden worden, so Klammer.

Quelle: World.Content.News/APA

Neben der ausgesprochen raschen und lückenlosen Klärung der Brandursache, welche scheinbar keine Fragen offen lässt, gibt vor allem die mediale Aufbereitung zu denken. So schwingen in vielen Berichten Schuldzuweisungen an die Opfer mit. So wird etwa das rasche und präzise Funktionieren der Rettungskette betont, im Gegensatz zur “falschen” Reaktion einiger BewohnerInnen: “Sie [die BewohnerInnen, Anm.] begründeten die Panikreaktionen ihrer aus den Fenstern gesprungenen Landsleute damit, dass sie niemals damit gerechnet hätten, dass so schnell Hilfe eintreffen würde. Die Erfahrungen aus ihrer Heimat haben die Menschen gelehrt, bei Feuer sofort die Flucht zu ergreifen, ein Feuerwehrwesen wie hierzulande gebe es dort nämlich nicht.”, so ein Bericht im ORF. Die Tatsache, dass bis zum Eintreffen der Einsatzkräfte nur eine einzige Frau versuchte, Hilfe zu leisten, bleibt hingegen meist unerwähnt.

Und auch wie schnell der Vorfall unter all den EM-Jubelmeldungen - von der friedlichen Fussballparty bis hin zur erfolgreichen Ausweisung von 140 Neonazis (die allerdings vermutlich relativ problemlos erneut einreisen können) - untergeht, ist einigermassen bemerkenswert. Der friedliche Charakter der Berichterstattung über die von Nationalismen geprägte und von unterschwelligem Rassismus begleitete Sportveranstaltung bleibt jedenfalls aufrecht.

Link: Bericht auf World.Content.News

In last month’s election campaign, the right-wing, post(?)-fascist coalition lead by Silvio Berlusconi had already advertised several measures against Roma-people as well as against illegalized migration on the other. Now, only two weeks after their landslide-victory in Italy’s general elections, things are taking shape as several decrees were enacted earlier this week. For instance, “illegal” migration is from now on considered a crime, and therefore in itself justifying a detention of between a minimum of six months and four years. Italy’s new stance also seems to prevail as EU’s migration-policy as the newly introduced 18-months-limit for custody pending deportation (dt. “Abschiebehaft”) also found it’s way into the European council’s directive on the Return of illegally staying third-country nationals on May 22nd.

Besides, a stricter stance is being proclaimed against fictitious mairrages and people renting apartments to sans papiers can be imprisoned for up to three years, alongside the confiscation of the flat and a fee of 50.000 Euros.

Other decrees aim directly at the minority of Roma-people living in Italy. Last weeks racist excesses by fascist mobs all across the country were not only accompanied by open support of governmental representatives, but also assisted with a new legislation: all foreigners, wether EU-citizens or not, can now be expelled if they fail to prove a regular income within three months after their arrival or in case of committing a crime.

In fact, the “spontaneous” actions against Roma witnessed in the past couple of weeks, follows classical fascist schemes – after diffuse rumors following racist stereotypes, a seemingly uncontrollable mob assaults citizens of certain a ethnic or political attitude, whereas fascist politicians and the police remain mostly apathetic. Afterwards the actions are justified by the introduction of new laws, satisfying a proclaimed “will of the people”.

A precise goal: save cites
A concrete goal: less taxes for everybody
A concrete goal: a good job for You too
A moral duty: dignified pensions
(scenes from Berlusconi’s election campaigns in the mid-90s)

More information can be found at the websites of EveryOne, no-racism.net and Telepolis:
– 68 percent of Italians want Roma expelled - poll
– Anti-gypsy sentiments out of control in Italy. The truth about the kidnapping in Naples
– Hate Crimes - The Italian way to create security?
– Racism Alert. Football fans threaten Gypsy champions Pirlo Ibrahimovic and Mihajlovic
– Romanian citizen dies in a carabinieri barracks at Fontana Liri
– Humanitarian emergency at the Casilino 900 camp in Rome
– Abschiebehaft: Italien prescht vor
– Jagd auf Zigeuner
– Rom: Bürgermeister mit brauner Vergangenheit
– Carta d’Italia: project on fascism in Italy (in German language)

members of the fascist organisation squadre after squatting a union-building in the 1920s

On Wednesday, May 21 police raided more than twenty apartments in a nation-wide crackdown against the country’s animal rights movement. Ten persons were arrested due to accusations of forming a criminal organization. During the operation, special forces broke doors of several appartments and woke up the people with their guns drawn - measures that were condemned by the legal defense team and by several NGOs alike. All detainees were brought to a prison in Wr. Neustadt, a city located 50km south of Vienna.

In the past couple of months animal-rights-activists held frequent rallies against the local chain-store Kleider Bauer because of its pro-fur policy. Thereby, police and the activists had engaged in an neverending legal contest on wether protests directly in front of the chain-stores were legal or not. This weeks crackdown seems to mark a new strategy by police on how to get rid of those protests.

More details on the issue as well as updates on the situation can be found at no-racism.net, including a press release by the legal defense team. The next solidarity-protest will take place on Sunday, May 25th at 2:30pm in front of the prison in Wr. Neustadt, people travelling from Vienna will be meeting in the train leaving at Südbahnhof at 1:30pm.

In the past two years or so, Vienna has seen the formation of a new generation of initiatives contributing to the city’s alternative scene. This year’s Mayday Parade was a good opportunity to get an overview on the clutter :)

In front of Museumsquartier, the starting-point of the parade, You could find stands mostly by ‘older’ projects, such as Infoladen, Rosa Antifa Wien, Deserteurs- und Flüchtlingsberatung, EKH and several of K-groups. Interestingly the ‘newer’ initiatives seem to be a lot more mobile, represented by a rather odd Wagenburg-vehicle, a mobile Cocktail-Bar (by Ladyfest?), the fabulous Axid Soundsystem or a van by the slightly hippiesc KuKuMA project just to name a few. Leaflets by Freiraum, Indymedia Austria, No-racism.net and a couple of Kost-nix-projects were all around, as well as media-projects such as Malmoe, Grundrisse and kanalB. During its way through the 15th district, the parade stopped over at bikekitchen (opening on May 17th) and the hard-fought Pankahyttn. i:da, Kostnixladen/Vekks, Einbaumöbel, Tüwi and the networking-platform unkompliziert.org weren’t visited, but are worth mentioning here too. In the very end of the parade, there was actually a little incident in front of Pankahyttn, where two participants were beaten up and arrested seemingly out of the blue by riot-police.

It’s hard to estimate how many people exactly participated, more that I had expected is how I would probably put it. However, even more important was the relaxed atmosphere in combination with a very focused political agenda. Apart from the main theme of precarious working-conditions, several local issues were picked up as well, such as the 9th anniversary of the death of Marcus Omofuma, the struggle for autonomous spaces in Vienna (Freiraum, Rosa Lila Villa, Bikekitchen, Pankahyttn,…) and the counter-protests to the christan-fundamentalist actions against abortion by Human Life International.

Forthcoming events:
– May 10: Flohmarkt @ Fluc/Wien (12am)
– May 10/11: Underdog Filmfest I/08 @ EKH+i:da/Wien
– May 16: Ring Straßen Fest Ring/Wien (3pm)
– May 16: Critical Mass Vienna Margaretenplatz/Wien (4:30pm)
– Jul 5: Free Parade 2008 @ Wien (2pm)
– Jul 12: Rainbow Parade 2008 @ Stadtpark/Wien (2pm)
– Jul 18-27: Anarchist Summercamp @ Niederösterreich/Austria

- Helping Hands vor dem Aus: nachdem Entzug der Förderungen durch die MA-17 der Stadt Wien, droht dem Koordinationsbüro für integrative und antirassistische Projekte der Konkurs. In wiederholten Gesprächen mit einer Mitarbeiterin MA17 sei Peter Marhold, dem Obmann des Vereins, gesagt worden, der Verein passe nicht zum “Förderschwerpunkt” der Abteilung, zudem sei persönliche Beratung “nicht mehr zeitgemäß”, die Betroffenen sollten ihre Information von der Vereinswebsite beziehen. MA17-Leiterin Ursula Struppe hingegen argumentiert, dass die Förderungsanträge zu spät eingebracht worden seien. Das finanzielle Austrocknen kritischer, unabhängiger und damit oftmals unangenehmer Vereine durch die Stadt Wien erreicht damit wieder einmal einen Höhepunkt.
- Die Internationale Aktionstage für Freiräume und Besetzungen am 11. und 12. April 2008 werden auch in Wien, Graz, Linz, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Eisenstadt und Völklabruck von Aktionen begleitet.
- Am 19. April finden in Ljubljana und Zürich Kundgebungen gegen die rassistische Praxis in der Festung EUropa und für ein Bleiberecht statt.
- Am 23. April 2008 jährt sich der all Mittwöchliche Protest von Ehe ohne Grenzen nun zum zweiten Mal – die 104. Demonstration. Auch nach zwei Jahren geht es um unser Menschenrecht auf Familienleben, die Situation ist unverändert, unverändert unerträglich.
- Euromayday ‘08: heuer findet am 1. Mai wieder die “Parade des Präkariats” statt, Treffpunkt ist das Marcus-Omufuma-Denkmal vor dem Museumsquartier (14h). Ein diesbezüglicher Aufruf findet sich hier. Weiters dürfte es Anfang Juli auch wieder eine Free Parade geben.
- Und auch Critical Mass rollt weiterhin durch österreichische Städte, die nächsten Termine sind Freitag, 18.4. in Wien und Freitag, 25.4. in Linz.

- ZARA has released it’s annual report on racism in Austria. In 2007 more than 800 incidents have been reported to the organization. An English translation should be available in a couple of weeks.
- Today the 20th NATO-summit has started in Bucharest, Romania. In order to oppose the meeting, activists have set up a Noborder-Camp as part of the anti-NATO-week.
- On April 4, 2008 a conference dedicated to “Bleiberecht” (the right to stay for illegalized migrants) will take place in Linz. An article on no-racism.net gives an overview on deportation in Austria and actions against this practice.

Two recent calls by the European Noborder Network and the German-based Gipfelsoli Infogroup summarize forthcoming actions of resistance in 2008.

- March 15-16, Bamako (Mali): meetings of migrant workers who were deported from Europe or sent back on their way, organized by Malian Association of deported migrants (AME)
- March 29, Athens/Thesaloniki/Volos (Greece): day of action against the border-regime
- March 29, London (UK): Trade Union and Community Activist Conference Against Immigration Controls
- April 2-4, Bucharest (Romania): protests against the 20th NATO-summit
- May 23-27, Berlin (Germany): protests against a summit by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
- May 24-26, Berlin (Germany): international meeting for squats and public spaces
- June 6, Warsaw (Poland) and several other European cities: European day of action against FRONTEX
- June 26 - July 8, Sapporo (Japan): protests against the G8-summit
- July 18-27, Austria: Anarchist summer camp
- Summer, Germany: Camp against a bomb-testing area
- August 17-24, Hamburg (Germany): anti-racist camp against deportations from the EU
- August 26-September 2, Izmir (Turkey): noborder-camp
- September 18-21, Malmoe (Sweden): European Social Forum
- October 7, Ceuta (Morocco): protests against the fence of Ceuta on the day of anniversary of the killings in Ceuta and Melilla in 2007
- preview 2009: NATO’s 60th anniversary summit in France, G8-summit in Italy

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