UNITED STATES/ AUSTRIA: AUSTRIAN FREEDOM PARTY LEADER JEORG HAIDER ARRIVES TO RUN IN NEW YORK MARATHON DESPITE CALLS FOR HIS DISQUALIFICATION

Record ID: 338120

  • Title: UNITED STATES/ AUSTRIA: AUSTRIAN FREEDOM PARTY LEADER JEORG HAIDER ARRIVES TO RUN IN NEW YORK MARATHON DESPITE CALLS FOR HIS DISQUALIFICATION
  • Date: 3rd November 1999
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 3, 1999) (RTN - ACCESS ALL) 1. TRACK AUSTRIAN FREEDOM PART LEADER JOERG HAIDER WALKING THROUGH J.F. KENNEDY AIRPORT TERMINAL 0.11 2. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) HAIDER SAYING "I'm coming for running, nothing else I'm not interested in politics, I want to run" 0.25 4. SCU WEBSITE SHOWING HAIDER'S RUNNIN
  • Embargoed: 18th November 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES AND KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA
  • City:
  • Country: USA Austria United States
  • Reuters ID: LVAC44CODPJVZ5APXKZX9D0CO963
  • Story Text: Joerg Haider, leader of Austria's far-right Freedom
    Party arrived in New York to prepare to run in Sunday's New
    York marathon, despite calls for his disqualification.

    Joerg Haider, a 49 year old lawyer and leader of
    Austria's right wing Freedom party arrived at New York's John
    F.Kennedy airport Wednesday (November 3) to participate in
    Sunday's (November 7) New York Marathon.

    "I'm coming for running, nothing else I'm not interested in
    politics, I want to run" Haider told Reuters Television whenhe
    arrived on an Austrian Air flight.

    Haider's anti-foreign party snatched second place in recent
    parliamentary elections.He once praised Adolf Hitler's
    "orderly" employment of policies and described Waffen SS
    veterans as decent men of character.The party also opposes
    the European Union and the euro single currency.

    Jewish community leaders are demanding that the marathon
    organisers either disqualify Haider or change the route to
    avoid the Austrian running through districts highly populated
    with Holocaust survivors and their families.

    "I intend to confront him if in fact he decides to run.I
    want to ask him about his remarks about the Waffen SS, the
    people who carried out the final solution responsible for
    killing men, women and children.What is this all about with
    this man?" New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind told Reuters
    recently.Hivkind's constituency in Brooklyn contains one of
    the world's largest concentrations of Holocaust survivors.

    But Richard Finn of the New York City Road Runners' Club
    says Haider will run." To have politics get involved in what
    is really a great sporting event, that is recognised around
    the world as the crown jewel of marathoning, in the sport, is
    a little disappointing, but its not going to disrupt, it is
    not going to interfere or take away anybodies enjoyment or the
    fun or the satisfaction tthat anybody that is participating is
    goign to have this Sunday"
    The route of the race, one of the world's largest marathons
    and a major sporting event, runs through all of New York's
    five boroughs, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and
    the Bronx.The finish line is in Central Park.


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