Racism Report 2003 - Zara

Page 28 Cases: Police Racism Report 2003Next day Mr. S. wanted to report the incident to the police. The details were firstly only taken down by hand onthe grounds that the evidence was extremely thin. Although Mr. S. can name six witnesses, the policeman said thathe would get in touch with the exhibition organisers in the afternoon and inform Mr. S. However, the police nevercontacted Mr. S. again and he then turned to ZARA who passed the case on to the Forum Against Anti-Semitism.Mr. S. tried many times to get confirmation and/or a copy of his report. He was always put off with various waferthinreasons („The officer hasn‘t been on duty since Sunday and his colleagues can give no information about it,“ or„The officer responsible is only on duty again on 3 or 4 August“). Zara agreed with the Forum Against Anti-Semitismthat they would try and get a copy of the report. Mr. S. finally informed ZARA, that after what was then almost twomonths he had received notification from the Korneuburg public prosecutor‘s office: proceedings had been abandoned.Mr. S. still does not know what was in the report, neither he nor the other witnesses had been asked to make astatement. ZARA informed Mr. S. that it is not possible to check the proceedings and there is unfortunately also noopportunity for appeal. ZARA can only document the case.127128129130P. contacted ZARA because a patient from Pakistan had credibly described to her that during theDr.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitnight of 19 to 20 April 2003 he was beaten up in a police station in the 1st district of Vienna. Dr. P. wanted toknow what she could now do. The ZARA counsellor advised her to report the matter and possibly to clarify the exactprocedure with the Medical Association. She should also put her patient in touch with ZARA for a counselling talk.Unfortunately nobody contacted ZARA.was informed anonymously about the following incident: on 29 May 2003 a special police unitZARAZivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeit(masked and with weapons at the ready) entered the apartment house Längenfeldgasse 12, where mostly Africanslive. The police officers told all residents: „Lie down on the floor“. Despite the fact that everyone lay down immediatelythe police began kicking them with their boots. (A friend showed the witness bruises.) The police searchedeverything and in the process cut open the couch with knives, as well as suitcases, although they were not locked.They threw everything into a mess: clothes, food from the fridge etc. „Afterwards the room looked as if a bomb hadhit it.“ The wallets and purses of all present were also searched and money taken out. Apparently there had not beena search warrant for all this. The witness asked if the police may simply take money and described them as thieves. „Idon‘t understand any of it. The police have no right to hit someone if he doesn‘t resist them. How is something likethat possible in Austria? Don‘t asylum seekers have a right to be treated humanely? I am outraged!!!“The ZARA counsellor attempted to find witnesses but without success. An enquiry to the police revealedthat they knew nothing about a raid on that day at that house. Thereby the report remains unconfirmed.B. contacted ZARA by telephone in a very excited state. He was travelling by car around 12:00 noonMr.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeiton the Mariahilferstraße in Vienna. Directly in front of him a „type who I wouldn‘t want to meet at night“ crossedthe street and on the opposite pavement lunged at an African. He jumped directly on the man and he fell with hishead against a rubbish bin. It later became apparent that the aggressor was a plain clothes police officer. A secondplain clothes policeman came up and the African was handcuffed. During the police action he lost his cap, which oneof the officers, as Mr. B. said --“banged it on his head“. Mr. B. observed all of this from his car. When the treatment,which in his view was degrading, became too much for him he got out of his car and went to the police officersand told them that he was a witness to this brutal „police action“. The officer, still aggressive, threatened him andshouted at him that he should disappear. Mr. B. told the policemen that he would report them. Since Mr. B. got thefeeling that he might also be attacked he removed himself from the scene but noted the registration number of thepolice car. Mr. B. wanted to complain in writing himself and the ZARA counsellor therefore gave him the addressesof various offices he can contact.and Mrs. X. come originally from Chile. On 3 November 2003 Mr. X. went with a friend to a billiardsMr.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitcafé near the Vienna Naschmarkt. On leaving the café they were asked for identification by the police. Mr. X. only hada copy of his passport with him. Both men were taken to the police station. There it was discovered that the laptopwhich his friend had in his rucksack had been reported as stolen. The police officers also took the mobile phone whichMr. X. had on him, which they obviously thought was also stolen property. However, proof existed that the mobilephone belonged to his wife. Mr. X. had to spend the whole night at the police station, simply because he could notspecify what „activities“ his friend was involved in. Mr. X. has heart problems and needs medicaments which is whythe police woke Mrs. X. (who had no idea of the incident) at two o‘clock in the morning to pick up medicine for herhusband. It was not explained to her why her husband was being detained in custody. Next day Mrs. X. went to thepolice station and was told: „Breaking and entering“ and „It‘s certain that he‘s done something.“ Two weeks later Mr.X. received a summons relating to the „matter of 3.11.2003“. However, the summons was for the morning of the sameday and Mr. X. therefore could not attend. On the following Monday the couple went to the police station togetherand photographs, fingerprints and DNA samples were taken from Mr. X. Two weeks later the charge against him was