Hello Karen, I'm afraid you are right that we probably shouldn't be surprised, but I don't think anyone here was prepared for the way this has so quickly turned into a highly politicized issue. Within only a few days following the police violence at the traditional alternative May 1st parade, an "Alliance Against Police Violence and For Freedom of Demonstration" spontaneously formed. It is supported by over 130 organizations and about 500 individuals (at last count, I believe). The right-wing "Freedom Party" (FPOe) immediately denounced "violent leftist extremists", demanded Rainer Zendron's resignation, and criticized the Green Party for siding with these "extremists", when the Green Party called for an independent investigation of the incident.
The conservative Austrian People's Party (OeVP) has called for an immediate freezing of all public subsidies to anyone supporting the Alliance (essentially the entire Freie Szene, the independent art scene here, as well as numerous politically engaged youth groups and migrant groups). Now the OeVP is demanding that the Linz09 organizers publicly distance themselves from the "Golden Backbone" award. The Social-Democratic Party (SPOe), which holds the majority in the city government, has said - absolutely nothing. Their silence is positively deafening. Is this just a storm in the teacup of a small city, or have broader developments just reached the province at last? Aileen On Wednesday 13 May 2009 13:36, karen blissett wrote: > Hello Aileen, > > "It cannot be that civil courage is politically penalized in our country." > > It looks like the media and governments in our 'lol' democracies(?) are > choosing to crack down on those who are challenging capitalist and > corporate agendas - choosing corporations to protect rather than supporting > people - what a surprise! > > karen > > > > Dametzstrasse 30, 4020 Linz > > It cannot be that civil courage is politically penalized in our country. > > Especially in times of crisis, in which media and politics like to appeal > to > > the fundamental principles of human communality, it is a scandal that a > member of our community is punished and subjected to political pressure for > attempting to prevent violence against someone weaker. > We specifically refer to the events of 1 May 2009 in Linz and to the arrest > of > the Vice Rector of the Art University, Rainer Zendron. The few statements > from politicians that have made it into the media have all been personal > attacks – see, for instance, commentaries in the newspaper OOe Nachrichten > from 4 May 2009 – and only a few public voices spoken up in his defence. > Therefore, it is up to us as committed members of the Art University Linz > to > > put Rainer Zendron as a person and in his importance for the way our > university works into the right light. > > For this reason, we have initiated a distinction that is to be awarded > annually starting this year to those persons who have especially > distinguished themselves by their outstanding civil courage. > This prize is to be ceremoniously awarded on 19 May 2009 at 7 pm in the > large > hall of the Offenes Kulturhaus Upper Austria to Vice Rector Rainer Zendron. > > In this way, we seek to demonstrate not only that we take a position as a > united body – as the university – on this situation set in motion by the > incident on May 1st, but also to express solidarity with the victims of > police violence and arbitrariness, who unfortunately have no lobby in the > media. > > We are an educational institution! And we will not accept being put under > pressure, neither from the media nor from party politics! And we call for > the > charges against Rainer Zendron and the other persons arrested on 1 May 2009 > to be dropped! > -- ... in so many words: > http://eliot.at_______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour -- ... in so many words: http://eliot.at _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
