AUSTRIA: JOERG HAIDER LENDS SUPPORT TO FREEDOM PARTY CANDIDATE FIGHTING VIENNA STATE ELECTIONS.

Record ID: 584811

  • Title: AUSTRIA: JOERG HAIDER LENDS SUPPORT TO FREEDOM PARTY CANDIDATE FIGHTING VIENNA STATE ELECTIONS.
  • Date: 25th March 2001
  • Summary: VIENNA, AUSTRIA (MARCH 22, 2001) (REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 1. GV: STREETS OF VIENNA 0.05 2. GV: VARIOUS POLITICAL PLACARDS (3 SHOTS) 0.21 3. GV: EXTERIOR OF TOWN HALL 0.26 4. GV: NEWS CONFERENCE OF THE FREEDOM PARTY WITH VIENNA CANDIDATE, HELENE PARTIK-PABLE AND HER SUPPORTER, JOERG HAIDER 0.31 5. MV: JOURNALISTS 0.35 6. MCU: SOUNDBITE (English) JOERG HAIDER, LEADER OF THE FREEDOM PARTY, SAYING: "It's always the same accusation we are focused on during election campaigns. But there is no reason behind it, because I think our election campaign was open, clear and fair. And this campaign focuses on the real problems of the people in Vienna concerning the immigration question, concerning the housing question, concerning the traffic in the city, to reorganise the public traffic system. I think it's no racist background." 1.17 7. GV/CU: VARIOUS PLACARDS/ CLOSE-UP OF PLACARD OF THE FREEDOM PARTY ACCUSING THE PRESENT VIENNESE GOVERNMENT OF WANTING TO GIVE POLITICAL RIGHTS TO FOREIGNERS. THE PLACARD READS: 'Right to vote for foreigners'. (2 SHOTS) 1.29 8. GV/CU/MV: RALLY OF THE FREEDOM PARTY IN VIENNA'S SECOND DISTRICT (LEOPOLDSTADT/ CLOSE-UP OF A SUPPORTER OF THE FREEDOM PARTY (4 SHOTS) 1.47 9. SV: IMMIGRANTS WATCHING RALLY 1.53 10. SIDE VIEW/SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (German) JOERG HAIDER COMMENTING ON THE IMMIGRATION SITUATION IN AUSTRIA, SAYING: "We have population growth only because of immigration. This, I think, is absolute nonsense, absolute nonsense, my friends. At first, we should try to find a solution for the problem of the thousands of illegal foreigners. Because, my dear friends, they are the real problem. If today there is somebody here [in Austria] who has no right to be here, who becomes criminal, is a drug dealer, poisons our children, then I have to say he has to get out of here faster than he came in. This is the only alternative that is available." (3 SHOTS) 2.43 11. MV: AUDIENCE APPLAUDING 2.47 12. GV/CU: INTERIOR OF THE OFFICE OF THE INTERNATIONAL HELSINKI FEDERATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN VIENNA (2 SHOTS) 2.55 13. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL HELSINKI FEDERATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN VIENNA DOCTOR. AARON RHODES COMMENTING ON THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN IN VIENNA, SAYING: "This is what we are talking about today, the political campaign underway in Vienna which has been characterised by a lot of xenophobic slogans and political advertisements that legitimise intolerance and xenophobia and anxiety about foreigners and ethnic groups. That is a problem for human rights organisations, because those kinds of behaviours can lead to human rights violations, they can lead to crimes." 3.29 14. CU: CUTAWAY VARIOUS POSTERS IN THE OFFICE 3.32 15. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOCTOR AARON RHODES TALKING ABOUT THE SITUATION OF BLACK AFRICANS IN AUSTRIA, SAYING: "I think the Blacks in Austria have the worst time of any group of foreigners. I think they suffer from the most kinds of discrimination and the most kinds of problematic behaviour of authorisation." 3.47 16. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (German) TOGOLESE-BORN DAMIEN AGBOGBE, WHO RUNS IN VIENNA'S LOCAL ELECTIONS AS AUSTRIA'S FIRST BLACK AFRICAN CANDIDATE, TALKING ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES IN AUSTRIA, SAYING: "The bad experiences I have had are mostly with the police. But also with common people who would say things like 'Nigger, go home!'. Sometimes, I am even attacked physically." 4.06 17. GV: CUTAWAY JOURNALISTS 4.11 18. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (German) DAMIEN AGBOGBE SAYING: "I go into politics, because I have a dream. Because of all the experiences that I have made, I thought: 'It is enough'. I want to participate, in order to change things. The dream of mine is that people of different origins are seen as an enrichment to society, and not as threat." 4.39 19. GV: EXTERIOR OF THE UNDERGROUND STATION AT PRATERSTERN, SUPPORTERS OF THE GREEN PARTY DISTRIBUTING BROCHURES TO PEDESTRIANS (11 SHOTS) 4.53 20. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) A STUDENT FROM COLOMBIA, RUBEN DARIO SABOGAL, TALKING ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES IN AUSTRIA, SAYING: "No, no. I don't have any problems here. Up to now, everything has been going fine for me. As I told you earlier, people welcomed me with their arms open. I really feel good here. I am very happy here." 5.04 21. GV: MORE LEAFLETING 5.10 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 9th April 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VIENNA, AUSTRIA
  • Country: Austria
  • Reuters ID: LVAAN9660TUCBO6DV21BWOHFT6M5
  • Story Text: Joerg Haider may not be running for mayor in Vienna,
    but the far-right leader is, nevertheless, dominating Vienna's
    state elections, putting anti-foreigner rhetoric on the agenda
    once again.



    Joerg Haider is again dominating Austrian politics.

    This time, his support for the top candidate of the Freedom
    party in Vienna, Helene Partik-Pable, in the local Vienna
    elections is causing headaches among political competitors.

    Haider's personal involvement in the Viennese electoral
    campaign does not come as a surprise. After having suffered
    defeats in state elections in the provinces of Styria and
    Burgenland last year, the Viennese election is considered to
    be the biggest barometer of the strength of Haider's Freedom
    Party since the anti-immigrant, populist group joined a
    national coalition with Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel's
    conservative People's Party 13 months ago.

    The Freedom Party, second largest party in the capital
    since 1991, has been running a characteristically provocative
    campaign, plastering the city with posters in which the word
    Foreigners, Crime and Drugs are conspicuously linked. Yet, at
    a news conference in Vienna on Thursday (March 22), Haider
    refused accusations of having run a racist campaign.

    "I think our electoral campaign was open, clear and fair.

    This campaign focused on the real problems of the people in
    Vienna. I think it's no racist background," Haider said.

    Despite his comments at the news conference, Haider
    delivered a highly emotional speech at an election rally in
    Vienna's second district, a district known for its large
    foreign community.

    "At first, we should try to find a solution for the
    problem of the thousands of illegal foreigners. Because, my
    dear friends, they are the real problem. If today there is
    somebody here [in Austria] who has no right to be here, who
    becomes criminal, is a drug dealer, poisons our children, then
    I have to say he has to get out of here faster than he came
    in," Haider told cheering fans.

    Vienna has 285,000 legal immigrants, representing 18 per
    cent of the capital's population. One of them is Togolese-born
    Damien Agbogbe. The 32-year-old professor of religion, who
    took Austrian nationality seven years ago, is running in
    Vienna's local elections this weekend as Austria's first black
    African candidate. Agbogbe is unwilling to stand by and suffer
    what he calls daily taunts such as "Nigger, go home!" and
    overt aggression from the police.

    "Because of all the experiences that I have made, I
    thought: 'It is enough'. I want to participate, in order to
    change things", the father of three told Reuters.

    After his candidacy for the Green Party became public,
    Agbogbe has not only received positive reactions. People would
    also tell him to his face that they "don't want niggers in
    politics." Yet, Agbogbe will continue participating in the
    electoral campaign, because "the dream of mine is that people
    of different origins are seen as an enrichment to society and
    not as a threat."
    Black Africans are the foreign group suffering most
    heavily from discrimination in Austria, adds the Executive
    Director of the International Helsinki Federation for Human
    Rights, Doctor Rhodes. He also criticises the political
    campaign the Freedom Party is running in Vienna.

    "The campaign has been characterised by a lot of
    xenophobic slogans and political advertisements that
    legitimise intolerance and xenophobia and anxiety about
    foreigners and ethnic groups," Rhodes said.

    Rhodes thinks that racism has been increasing since the
    new Austrian government was formed in February 2000.

    Obviously, not all foreigners in Austria are facing racist
    attacks. A student from Colombia says that "up to now,
    everything has been going fine for me. People welcomed me with
    their arms open. I am very happy here."
    This is also why he has decided to volunteer in the
    political campaign of an Austrian party by distributing
    brochures to pedestrians - the Green Party, but not Haider's
    Freedom Party.

    (dw/lh)

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