Racism Report 2003 - Zara

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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
Racism Report 2003 Cases: Police Page 29dropped. Mrs. X.‘s mobile phone is still in the safekeeping of the police. Mr. and Mrs. X. have received no apology.ZARA prepared an enquiry to the police but the couple did not get in touch again and cannot be reached.F. observed the arrest of a dark-skinned man by numerous police officers at Praterstern in Vienna onMs.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitthe evening of 28 November 2003. In her view the police action was so brutal that she was reminded of the violentdeath of Cheibani Wague (see the report in this Racism Report). „I shouted, ‚Stop!‘ - ‚Shut your face!‘ a policemanshouted to me. Five or six men were pushing the man against the ground , face-down position, and I thought ofCheibani again. I was completely upset, I was crying, my whole body was trembling. I asked if they don‘t learn, ‚Whatdo you learn in your damned training?‘ I said, ‚Not so many of you on him!‘ - ‚Be careful what you say,‘ said a policeman.“Ms. F. asked other passers-by to stop to be able to make statements as witnesses. She had to show identificationand justify the fact that she was standing there. She was very worried about the man‘s vital functions and asked,„(...) Please let him sit up, he must be able to breathe. ‚Then he kicks around,‘ said the policeman, ‚at the most we canturn him around.‘ ‚Yes, please turn him around so he can breathe!‘ Shortly afterwards they lifted him up. ‚He‘s beingarrested for drug dealing,‘ a policeman said to me.“In summary of what was for her a shocking experience Ms. F. said that she had felt compelled to act in this way„as a person, as an Austrian citizen, as a medical student and future doctor.“131A., born in Iran, was arrested by the police at the U4 underground station Karlsplatz in Vienna. TheMr.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitpolice believed him to be a wanted drugs dealer because he was of „oriental origin“ and wore „a beard“. After onehour at the police station the police officers determined that Mr. A. was not the wanted man and he was released.When Mr. A. complained about the arrest the police officers threaten him with a charge of causing offence. A ZARAcounsellor accompanied him to the police station again and in discussion with the police officers attempted to clarifywhy he had been arrested and with what he was supposed to be charged. After a discussion with the senior officerthe police dropped any charge and apologised for the arrest: it had been a misunderstanding. Mr. A. was satisfiedwith this.132B., an Austrian citizen born in Turkey, was checked by two police officers one evening. They askedMr.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitto see his identification since he could be in Austria „illegally“. However, Mr. B. had no identification on him andwas taken to the police station where the police were able to establish his identity and allowed him to go. While atthe police station MR. B. complained that he had been taken there and raised his voice. He thought that the policeofficers should not have taken him there since his flat and his ID could have been reached within a few minutes.In a ZARA counselling talk he was afraid that he would get into trouble and asked his counsellor to contact thepolice. In conversation with the responsible complaints officer the ZARA counsellor discovered that there would beno consequences and that such occurrences happen „every day“.133D., born in Slovenia, works nights at the Opel factory and always arrives home late at night. AlmostMr.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitevery time Mr. D. was checked by two police officers - and always when he was in front of the door to his apartmenthouse. Usually they were the same officers. At each check Mr. D. had to identify himself and explain why he was stillout and about at two o‘clock in the morning. The ZARA counsellor attempted to organise an appointment with theofficer responsible for complaints. Before an appointment was organised the checks stopped and Mr. D. decided notto pursue the matter.134S. reported from Salzburg: On 1 August 2003 I opened a call shop and internet café in Salzburg (...) 135Ms.Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeitwith my husband, who is originally from Ghana. From the first day on we felt the xenophobia of the neighbours andpolice. A man living above my shop poured water over my customers. My 7 year-old daughter, who liked playingwith friends in front of the shop, had fruit, vegetables and bread thrown at her by the same man. Ms. S. reported theincident to the police. The story was simply turned around and it was claimed that she had put the left-over food andwater on the street herself. The police officers took the side of the person accused. According to Ms. S. the police werethen at her shop almost every day making checks. However, the police could not confirm the neighbours‘ complaintsthat there was too much noise. The police officers checked IDs „in an aggressive way“ and her husband and customerswere subjected to racist insults such as, „You monkey, I could shoot you any time and nobody would do anythingabout it,“ and „Shit Nigger, go back to where you came from:“ Ms. S. went on to report that on Friday, 10 October2003 around 21:00 two police officers came into the shop and loudly demanded to see the manager. They wantedto see her husband‘s identification and wanted to know if he was an Austrian citizen. Mr. S. said no and showed hisGerman identification. In answer one of the police officers said, „You‘re still a foreigner, also in Germany.“ Then acustomer from Nigeria wanted to pay for his telephone call and wanted to know why the police were behaving insuch a way. One of the policemen then rammed an elbow in his stomach and pushed him against the wall while the
Page 3 and 4: ContentsIntroductionPreface by the
Page 5 and 6: Racism Report 2003 Introduction Pag
Page 7 and 8: Racism Report 2003 The Death of Che
Page 9 and 10: Racism Report 2003 Cases: Public Sp
Page 21 and 22: Racism Report 2003 Cases: Media Pag
Page 27 and 28: Racism Report 2003 Cases: Racist Gr
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Page 37 and 38: Racism Report 2003 Cases: Public In
Page 39 and 40: Racism Report 2003 Cases: Work Page
Page 41 and 42: Racism Report 2003 Cases: Housing P
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Page 45 and 46: Racism Report 2003 Cases: Against Z
Page 47 and 48: Racism Report 2003 Full Reports Pag
Page 53 and 54: Racism Report 2003 Focus Issue: Rac
Page 65 and 66: Racism Report 2003 Our Demands Page
Page 71 and 72: Racism Report 2003 Equal Opportunit
Page 73 and 74: Racism Report 2003 List of contribu
Page 75 and 76: Advertisement
Page 78: The ZARA team at the counselling ce

Racism Report 2003 - Zara

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