<nettime> Rasist state of Austria

["Prijatelj " <prijatelj@angelfire.com>]

For more information contact Platform for a World without Rasicm in Vienna
Schottengasse 3a/1/59, A- 1010 Wien


RASCISM IN AUSTRIA 
LEGITIMATED BY LAW, DEMANDED BY MEDIA AND EXECUTED BY THE POLICE

The Platform for a World without Rascism, which sees itself as a reaction
to the growing terror against immigrants in Austria, is a union of many
groups, initiatives, associations and private people. We are concerned to
see, that rascism is not an isolated phenomenon in this country but
desired, stired-up and practised by institutions. After Ahmed F. from
Senegal was violently killed at his arrest at the beginning of this year
and after the killing of Marcus Omofuma by the cops, the reaction was not
a change of view but in contrary the rascist propaganda was intensified to
produce acceptance for such crimes.  In this sense, we don`t trust the
affirmations of the responsible ministery for justice and the ministery of
the interior, which state that the alleged biggest drug-raid of the
Second Republic (25./ 26.5.99)  the so-called Operation Spring, where
mainly people with coloured skin were arrested  had nothing to do with
the murder of Marcus Omofuma. But there are too many contradictions, that
make this connection clear: 

*) The propaganda of the Kronen Zeitung together with the FPV in the
run-up to the raid

*) The alleged executed bugging operation half a year before could not
prevent, that a refugee-hostel in Graz  former inhabited by African
immigrants, now by Kosovo-Albanians was attacked by police special
forces. But the cops returned, because they only seemed to need some
detainees with the same colour of skin as Marcus Omofuma. 

*) Inhabitants of a refugee-hostel in Vienna report, that the cops had
beaten up people, who were still sleeping. When they looked under
bed-sheets and found white refugees, they excused for what they had
done. 

*) From 102 arrested people had to be released more than two thirds. The
accauses against the already imprisoned are very scanty  the big success
which the media propagate is just a bit of seized drugs which could be
found by a few dealers. The alleged uncovered Nigerian drug-mafia
unmasks more and more as a construct, which shall legitimate the murdering
of Marcus (in reality just a few of the arrested come from Nigeria)  the
important thing for the responsible people was the colour of the skin. 

*) The accusation of the Human Right`s activist Charles O. for being the
chief of the drug-mafia was reduced to his demand Leave work and join the
demonstration. This very ridiculous argumentation is a warning to all
people engaged, to shut the mouth. Otherwise they would have to fear
massive repression by the state. This arbitrariness of the police against
African people  together with the growing rascist propaganda of the media
 has reached a new highest point with the Operation Spring, but this is
already not the end: Each day there are reports of violent acts and
arrests only by rascist characteristics. An article in the Kurier (3.8.99,
On drug-patrol with the cops in Favoriten) speaks seriously of these
rascist stereotypes. Word-for-word: The cops are especially interested in
Black-Africans who  starting at the Matzleinsdorfer Platz  seem to
supply the scene with heroin and cocain. 

The abuses, which the arrested are exposed of this propaganda-raid in face
of inhuman practice, don`t surprise anymore: For weeks even months the
imprisoned aren`t allowed to have contact with their relatives ... 

Unfortunately, most of the arrested got Farid Rifaat as
compulsory-defender, who not only defended the neonazi Franz Radl on trial
but also the three cops who are responsible for the death of Marcus
Omofuma. Though this may be legal, as long as the ministery claims that
both cases have no connection. But if you have noticed, how media and
politics took the Operation Spring as an excuse for the death of Marcus,
it looks very much like bias. The question is: Will it be more important
for the lawyer to protect the three cops who have the money to pay him, or
to release his African clients who are taken as legitimation before public
for police-torture?After the violent death by suffocation of Marcus the
public was indignant. But only for a short time as the reactions after the
biggest drug-raid of the Second Republic and ist presentation in the
media showed.  As long as the public accepts the propaganda of rascist
media  that say, every African deals with drugs and therefore can be
deported to death  there will be no pressure on the responsible political
institutions. So the defence of the three cops is much easier. This
propaganda is possible as long as the dubious details of the Operation
Spring are not published and the African defendants remain in prison
until their condemnation. It really is in doubt that Rifaat will be
serious in his defence.  Moreover, it is quite strange that in a case like
this  in connection with a so-called criminal association  a lawyer
has responsibility for more than one defendant, even a great part of them.
In addition, people who visited the prisoners were observed by court
people to prevent the possibility of arrangements.  Activists of GEMMI
(Association for Human Rights of Marginalized people and Immigrants) went
to a deputy of Rifaat, Dr. Rast, showing him the power of attorney of one
of the defendants which they needed to look into the files. He allowed
this only after weeks of discussion. After all, he demanded 10 vS per copy
(of a file with hundreds of pages). It seems that he wasn`t very lucky
about the engagement for his clients.  Though there was another lawyer who
agreed to take responsibility for one of the arrested who wished a new
lawyer instead of Rifaat, the Bar Council refused the application. The
Platform for a World without Rascism  aware of these bad conditions 
wrote the following letter to the minister of Justice: 

										Vienna, 3.8.99
Dear Mr. Michalek,

People who were arrested in the Operation Spring are confronted with
conditions that contradict to Human Rights as visitors told us. 

*) After more than six weeks none of them was given hygienic articles such
as teeth brushes etc. That is against the common practise, that detainees
have to get supply immediately. 

*) They also had no possibility to change their clothes since they were
arrested  although there is a big depot of clothes in prison. One of the
detainees even had no shoes because the belts of his sandals had torn
apart. 

*) Nobody was told about the legal status. The contact to relatives or
friends has been forbidden. As a consequence, many of them will for sure
lose their jobs and flats.1 They can`t tell anyone why they don`t go to
work or pay their rent. 

*) After two and a half month there still is no accusation. That means,
the detainees still don`t know for what reason they are imprisoned. In
addition, few of them actually have been visited: Most of them have no
contact out of the prison-walls. They are forced to vegetate without teeth
brush and clothes in prison.  So we request you to remedy abuses as well
as to guarantee the respectful dealing with the prisoners in the future
which is entitled to them. 

Yours faithfully

P.S. A copy of this writing is going to national and international media,
institutions and organizations. With this letter we want to set a sign
against the tactic of those responsible who want to achieve that way a
desolidaration with the victims of state rascism. 

The Operation Spring is  next to rascist propaganda and justification
of Marcus`death  also to legitimate new methods of police investigation.
It is no accident that the first official bugging operation in Austria was
against people with black skin.  Besides of the accusation that all
African people are dealing with drugs the ministery of the interior has
taken the Menschenrechtsbeirat (Human Right`s Commitee) as an additional
alibi.  Meanwhile the authorities cut unliked organisations like the
Social Service of the Airport in their work, the clique around minister
Schlvgl quasi made their own smooth opposition, where suitable NGOs are
sitting next to deputies of the ministery. With this the future
resolutions of the ministery should be immune against anti-rascist
criticism.  In one hand we should not be impressed by such tactics in our
anti-rascist work and in the other hand we should not split up in
solidarity, because solidarity can not be divided. The division into
good (no refugees of poverty, but political in the sight of the rulers
in the ministery) and bad (like real and supposed drug dealers,
so-called economic refugees of the imperialistic distribution politics
...) immigrants (male and female) serves just the ruling rascism and the
justification of inhuman asylum-politics. 

Don`t let them fool you down  resist, stay in solidarity! 

Finally we want to show that rascism doesn`t only exist in Austria. Also in other countries of Europe like Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, England and France in a short time immigrants were killed by cops on remand pending deportation or while their deportation under cruel circumstances.Information from the rasist state of Austria.
Please forward further.


The legal murder of people who have committed no other crime than being
poor and not being born here, has become an european-wide method. That`s
the reality of Schengen, against which we want to fight internationally. 
For further care for the prisoners we need your support. If someone wants
to help, contact: 

		Plattform f|r eine Welt ohne Rassismus
		Schottengasse 3A/1/59 1010 Wien/ Austria

1 The meaning of this was that for example telephone-numbers which layed
at the deposit place, in spite of repeated requests weren`t given.
Visiting was allowed but watched by cops. The problem was, that relatives
or colleagues didn`t know that and the place where their friends are
imprisoned. Meanwhile (end of august) the most of the prisoners (without a
watching cop) can be visited. But some people aren`t allowed to receive
visitors until today. 




Imp: Plattform f|r eine Welt ohne Rassismus
	Schotteng. 3A/1/59, 1010 Wien. 


Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com





#  distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
#  <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
#  collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
#  more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body
#  archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net