<nettime> http://free.netbase.org/ update

[Konrad Becker <konrad@t0.or.at>]

Dear Nettimers,

we are now counting more than 700 signatories for the Open Letter to the
Austrian Public! Please help us to get at least a thousand so we can
prepare an official dispatch for the political representatives of this
country. Please forward the campaign URL to your local press contacts
also. The interface to give your signature is at http://free.netbase.org ,
follow the [sign open letter] to the web-form.

for your diversion a little quiz.....

In which country did the following events take place:

1) 6 ministers of government take a student publication to court for
printing a letter to the editors which speaks of a "shitty government" ?

2)  a primeminister/chancelor, the president and several political
funcionaries take a parade where Waffen SS banners and insignia are openly
on display, carried in a procession on live TV?

3) a political party had regular payments to police and state security
agents to spy on journalists, artists, priests and NGOs?


The answer is at the end of this message.

best, Konrad

http://free.netbase.org


PS: 
I have received comments wether it is legitimate to have the word
"neoliberal" and "fascist" in one sentence... well its based on the fact
that Haiders Party has both elements side by side and its intriguing to
see how well these seemingly non-connected ideological positions coexist.
Not only within the F-Party but on the national level and beyond. Anton
Pelinka, one of the most respected political scientists in Austria, (now
under constant pressure from the F) has commented widely on this. In fact
this is a very interesting subject to look at.

What I find very sad is that very abnormal things in this country have
been accepted as "normal" by large segments of the population- even
so-called "intellectuals" (who will not say openly that they support this
government) - and I find it shocking that the many well established facts
do not make it into the international press and there is not enough
serious reports and analysis of what is really going on.

According to Wolfgang Neugebauer, the director of the Documentation Centre
of the Austrian Resistance, the culture of silence regarding the Nazi era
in post-war Austria has been both comprehensive and self-interested. Mr
Neugebauer said: "We have today in Austria perhaps 700,000 former members
of the Nazi party. They returned from the war to positions of influence in
science, economics and politics. It is accurate to say that this large
group has no interest in revisiting the Nazi era." http://www.doew.at/

For those of you who read german I recommend the following book:
Scharsach, Hans-Henning [Hrsg.]
Haider : �sterreich und die rechte Versuchung  
Reinbek bei Hamburg : Rowohlt, 2000. - 284 S. ISBN 3-499-22933-1 



PPS:

the complete list of 712 signatures at http://free.netbase.org :

[listing deleted]


a little quiz:
The answer is Austria





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