Racism Report 2003 - Zara

Racism Report 2003 Cases: Public Space Page 9draw swastikas on themselves and paint Nazi things on my seat. But I‘m an Austrian citizen. Could you please dealwith my problem quickly and tell me what I should do now. P L E A S E ! ! ! !‘A ZARA counsellor tried in vain to reach the pupil by telephone and by e-mail. ZARA therefore informed the Anti-Racism Counselling Centre of the Linz Association for the Care of Foreigners in Upper Austria (Verein zur Betreuungvon AusländerInnen in OÖ) which could possibly intervene directly. The colleagues finally managed to contact theschoolboy but he reacted by strongly rejecting their advance and said that he could manage alone. His situation wasjudged to be particularly threatening and the colleagues suspected that help was urgently needed. He was thereforeonce again offered help by e-mail but he did not take up the offer.FPÖ (Austrian Freedom Party) local councillor in Favoriten, Vienna (Bernd Zeissel) approached ZARAAnZivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitbecause he was continually hearing about elderly ladies being verbally abused by young immigrants. He said hewould like to read about it in the next Racism Report. In a telephone conversation with a ZARA counsellor it wasexplained to him that this was only possible if these were incidents of racism. In the following conversation he madewide-sweeping generalisations, referred to badly brought up migrant children and the police‘s fear of ‚the blackAfricans‘. He also stated that Omufuma would still be alive today if he had not defended himself as he did.12L. noticed two types of ‚Negerbrot‘ (‚Nigger Bread‘) on display in the shop window of the shop ‚Bonbon‘,Mr.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-ArbeitNeubaugasse 12, Vienna. He went into the shop and asked the shop assistant about this product description. Sheasked him if he didn‘t have any other worries. Certainly, answered Mr. L. and explained that it had long been commonknowledge that the vast majority of Afro-Europeans perceive the term ‚Nigger‘ as discriminatory. The shop assistantpersisted in her trivialisation and said that she could not change anything since that is how the product came fromthe wholesaler, the company Leschanz in Vienna. Mr. L. turned to ZARA. ZARA had already written two letters ofcomplaint to the shop but never received an answer. A few weeks later Mr. L. noticed that the ‚Nebgerbrot‘ had beenremoved from the shop window. However, in December 2003 a ZARA staff member saw that the ‚Negerbrot‘ was onceagain on display in the window and ZARA wrote a letter of complaint to the wholesaler, who did not react.13B. and Ms. S. complained about the company Austrosaat which markets sunflower seeds under theMs.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitarticle name ‚Goldene Neger‘ (‚Golden Nigger‘). ZARA wrote a letter of complaint. In the reply the company Austrosaatpromised to rename the seeds in the 2004 season. ‚(...) We would like to inform you that the sunflower type GoldeneNeger has been on offer in all relevant seed catalogues since 1962. It is not our intention to cause misunderstandingsthrough product descriptions and have therefore, in accordance with your wishes, changed the name for the2004 season. As a matter of form we would like to state that this change involves considerable costs since we planrequirements for our packaging material very early. In our defence we return the Racism Report sent to us by you.‘14C. reported to ZARA the case of a china and household goods shop in Mariazell which sold salt andMs.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitpepper pots and candlesticks in the form of African-looking people and a young African woman (with a pot on herhead and holding a leopard). The series is called ‚Timbuktu‘ and for Ms. C. is ‚real nastiness because the figures (especiallythe candlestick) have an especially simple-minded expression‘.ZARA wrote a letter of complaint to the shop and received a reply from the porcelain company Villeroy und Boch:‚(...) that the aims of your work are consistent with the convictions of Villeroy&Boch. (...) Nothing could be more distancedfrom us than racist or discriminatory bodies of thought. Our Timbuktu series is part of an overall concept withthe name ‚Wonderful World‘. With Wonderful World we want to go on an imaginary journey to all the continents.(...) The first stage of our journey takes us to South America and Africa (...). The two continents are represented bythree plain colour series as well as the IPANEMA and TIMBUKTU decoration. (...) It is obvious why we chose a dark skincolour for Timbuktu and this had absolutely no discriminatory intentions. All the figures are handmade and paintedby hand. If the facial expression changes, it is a result of the method of production and is unavoidable. (...)‘ZARA thanked Villeroy&Boch for their statement and passed the letter on to our client who was satisfied with it.15B. informed ZARA about racist content in the children‘s books by Astrid Lindgren, who he generally 16Mr.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitgreatly admires. He asked for advice about whether he should still give children these books and if so, how he shouldbest explain this to them. He asked himself whether Pippi Longstocking is still in keeping with the times in bringingup children because her father is a ‚Negerkönig‘ (translator‘s note: ‚King of the Niggers‘ but translated as ‚King of theCannibals‘ in English-language versions) in remote Taka-Taka Land, who rules over 126 natives. In an interview aboutthis problem Astrid Lingren once said: ‚With hindsight I think that Pippi also talks a lot of nonsense which it wouldhave been better if I had never written. Of course, today I would naturally not have made her father a ‚Negerkönig‘.(Source: www.junior-verlag.de/kinder/artikel/kinder200204-2.php3)Mr. B. thought that an adaptation by the publishers to today‘s ‚political correctness‘ would be a good idea so asnot to have to deprive today‘s children of Pippi.