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Page 10 Cases: Public Space Racism Report 2004
with both her fists screaming: “Damn foreign rabble, piss off home, don’t park your car here, piss off you whore.” He
and his wife are repeatedly harassed by the police who insist on inspecting the living conditions although they have
neither legal nor any other reason to do so. ZARA documents the incidents (some of them happened a while back)
and informs Mr. K. of the legal possibilities should something similar happen again to him and his wife in future.
45 Ms. D. who is working in a centre for young people informs ZARA of the free newspaper “Our St. Pölten”
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which was shown to her by a teenager of Turkish origin. In it there is a picture of his parents’ shop and a text caption
saying “our townscape deserves something else”. The teenager had already complained to the newspaper but wasn’t
taken seriously. ZARA writes a letter of complaint to the paper. A member of staff informs us of his intention to pay
a personal visit to the shop and to apologise to the teenager’s parents for the “misunderstanding”. The meeting takes
place.
46 On May 6, 2004, several Slovene organisations in Carinthia receive letters of an alarming nature with
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regard to the “Verbotsgesetz”, the law banning National Socialist agitation. They were posted in Graz by individuals
calling themselves “J. Wagner” and “A. Löhr”. Investigations are initiated by the State police. In one of the letters
it says: “In the year 2004 we, the Action of National Socialists Graz, profess to fascism. Our actions are directed in
particular against asylum seekers, economical refugees and those who assist them to become naturalised, against
foreign pubs, associations and similar institutions, against left-wing parties and their system press. We demand a
freeze on immigration and the deportation of all foreigners! Responsible: Mission Force ANS Graz.” The letter features
swastikas and “foreigners out” slogans and the annotation “NSDAP/AO: Box 6414, Lincoln, USA”. The second letter
comes from the “Legion Wasa”, an apparently Swedish organisation of right-wing extremists and NS supporters. The
letters are sent to the Institute for Slovene Folklore, the Central Association of Slovene Organisations and the Cultural
Associations in Klagenfurt as well as in Eberndorf (District Völkermarkt).
47 In June 2004 Ms. C. takes part in a mountain climbing course in Italy organised by the Alpenverein during
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which she hears other participants making anti-Semitic and Islam phobic remarks. One participant says for instance
that today’s generation of 30 and 40 year olds no longer show an interest in the past. Another participant of app.
70 years of age seizes the opportunity to lament about the fact that no-one talks about the NS era anymore: about
the “Jew era” as he calls it. It was the Jews who exploited the poor Austrian farmers with their extortionate interest
rates, but this was no longer talked about. Another participant adds that “the Jews needn’t be surprised if they’re
exploited by others …” When Ms. C. interferes by calling these remarks anti-Semitic the others justify their statements
by claiming that they only represented reality. On another day at breakfast their guide remarks that he was woken
really early by the church bells. The same participants respond he should be relieved that he wasn’t woken by the
Muezzin. When another participant says that the call of the Muezzin was actually beautiful they say nothing more.
48 Ms. B. and her 4 guests from Spain are sitting in a restaurant in Vienna. Shortly after their arrival two
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middle-aged men enter the restaurant. They sit down at the table next to them and have two dogs with them, one
medium-sized fighting dog and a slightly smaller terrier. They don’t put the dogs on the lead and allow them to move
around the restaurant without a muzzle. The dogs also come to Ms. B’s table. She and her guests don’t feel threatened
but disturbed because they don’t want the dogs near them while eating their meals. The older dog-owner keeps
calling his dog to his side but only with preliminary success. Ms. B. eventually asks the men politely to put their dogs
on the lead. The younger one answers: “No need to worry. My dog doesn’t like half-breeds!” Ms. B. doesn’t believe
her ears and asks whether he’s just called her friends half-breeds. To this the older man replies (using the German
informal—and impolite—you): “You heard alright. My friend is a right-winger.” Although Ms. B. is completely aghast
she explains in a matter-of-fact tone that she had no understanding for this kind of behaviour. Now the older of the
two becomes very unfriendly and aggressive. Ms. B. asks the waiter for another table saying that she and her guests
didn’t want to have to eat near such people.
49
Ms. M. and a friend are crossing an underground passage at Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring. There the two women
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observe an elderly man yelling at a boy of Turkish origin and threatening to hit him. Another man is with him
and also yelling, while two women are standing next to them and seem to be amused by what’s going on. Ms. M.
demands of the elderly man to leave the boy alone. The man looks at her and shouts: “What do you want, you fucking
Communists?” Now the two women who are with the men also start yelling at Ms. M. and her friend. The man turns
back to the boy and spits at him. Ms. M. wants to stop him and threatens to call the police. At this the two men do
leave the boy alone but put on a very aggressive behaviour towards the women and direct their insults against them.
Before they finally leave shouting insults the elderly man performs the Hitler salute and spits Ms. M’s friend in the
face. It is only after the four have left that other people approach the young women and the boy to ask whether