Austrians demonstrate against racism
By Catherine Brown
In the biggest demonstration in Vienna for 50 years, more than 250,000 people at the end of January demonstrated their anger at a racist "Austria First" petition organised by the extreme right Austrian Freedom Party (FP).
In November, FP leader Jorg Haider demanded that the government (a coalition of Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party) implement his 12-point anti-immigration plan. When the government refused, he announced the FP would take the plan in the form of a petition to the streets.
Haider predicted at least a million signatures given a backdrop of growing recession, unemployment and increased tensions over immigration. Less than half that figure was collected — 400,000.
A broad anti-racist coalition, SOS Neighbour, was the organised response to the FP petition. The demonstration was planned to coincide with the start of petition-signing week. The Green Party, the Catholic Church, artists and unionists were involved.
Franz Floss, social spokesperson for the Green Party, said a debate around demands for the rally ended in a decision to focus on "an end to racist politics" and not to call for changes to an already strict immigration law. This was to encourage the Social Democrats to participate.
Anti-immigrant sentiment has been fuelled by lack of government social welfare spending, especially on housing. The Greens, Floss says, call for increased spending to benefit immigrants and Austrians.
Within a week of the SOS Neighbour demonstration and the final tally on the petition, five prominent members of the FP resigned, saying it had moved too far to the right.