I trust that Michael will not be embarrassed about copyright issues if I
append the full item from the BBC website of quotes from Haider.
Presumably they will not want to be claiming breach of copyright.
Of course these quotes do not cover the visual and symbolic impact of his
actions though they do give some evidence of the circumstances in which he
is happy to be seen.
Chris Burford
London
_____________________________
Joerg Haider: Statements criticised
August 1988
"You know as well as I do that the Austrian nation
was a miscarriage, an ideological miscarriage."
In a television interview.
October 1990
"Our soldiers were not criminals, at most they were
victims."
In an address to an annual meeting of World
War II veterans at Ulrichsberg, known to attract
former SS officers.
June 1991
"... in the Third Reich they had an "orderly"
employment policy ..."
After the uproar in the Carinthian provincial
parliament that followed, he added: "I unequivocally
made the point that this remark was not made with
the meaning understood by you. If it reassures you
then I take back the remark with regret."
However, he was forced to step down as provincial
governor of Carinthia as a result of the remark.
February 1995
During a parliamentary
debate, Mr Haider
referred to "the
punishment camps of
National Socialism" -
implying that
concentration camp
inmates had been guilty of
crimes.
Later that day, he said he
had meant to say
"concentration camps".
September 1995
"... there are still decent people of good character
who also stick to their convictions, despite the
greatest opposition and have remained true to their
convictions until today."
In an address to World War II veterans including
former members of Adolf Hitler's murderous
Waffen SS.
December 1995
"The Waffen SS was a part of the Wehrmacht
(German military) and hence it deserves all the
honour and respect of the army in public life."
In a television interview.
November 1999
A month after a general election in which the
Freedom Party surged into second place, Mr
Haider apologised for his past comments in a
speech in Vienna.
"In the past, some remarks have been attributed to
me in connection with Nazism which were certainly
insensitive or open to misunderstanding.
"I am personally sorry for this, firstly because I
believe I hurt the feelings of people who were
themselves victims of Nazism or whose relatives
were, and secondly because the statements were
not in line with the personal values of tolerance and
humanity which are the basis of my political work."
Mr Haider said he
understood that some
Austrian Jews felt anxiety
about his election success
but assured them they
had nothing to fear.
"The very uniqueness and
incomparability of the
crime of the Holocaust
means Austrian politicians
must take such fears
seriously.
"Where we in the Freedom Party have
responsibility, no one needs to pack their suitcases
and no one has to leave their home.
"Where we in the Freedom Party have
responsibility, freedom and democracy are in good
hands."
Mr Haider said his generation had the good fortune
not to bear responsibility for the Nazi period.
"But we must observe the burden of remembrance
which must characterise our political behaviour.
"This must spur us to do everything to prevent, once
and for all, any repetition of the crime of organised
mass extermination of people and of ethnic cleansing
and expulsion as a means of policy."
February 2000
"There is a lot of excitement in the European chicken
pen - even though the fox hasn't even got in."
Interview published by German weekly Die Zeit.
