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As Austrian artists and cultural workers we strictly reject the current Austrian government. This government stands for an escalation of the politics of simplification, populistic agitation, growth of media monopolies and racist xenophobia which have increasingly governed everyday political life during the last year - unfortunately not soley in Austria (in this sense Austria is both symptomatic and particular).

Since the OEVP enabled the FPOE to participate in the government --a party which has to be attributed neofascist tendencies -- for the first time we find ourselves confronted with a situation in which the government has to secure their position in front of the population by massive police protection: a population which makes their resistance public against this government by demonstrations and other various forms of social protest.

In this context we are compelled to strongly reject the cynisism of Robert Fleck's current statement in which he attempts to conflate national socialism and the situation in Austria today -- an irresponsible and inconsiderate reaction in front of historical facts which minimizes the historical actualities of the period of national socialism and distorts the form of neo-racism and nationalism of the current situation. Robert Fleck draws a completely distorted image of the situation of artists, using the same kind of populistic language that we should now be particularly wary of and fight actively.

Apart from that, who empowered Mr. Fleck to be the speaker in the name of all Austrian artists? How can he consider himself as "one of the last internationally active Austrian art critics"?

The call to boycott Austrian artists and institutions is irresponsible, contraproductive and is equal to an incapacitation and generalization of actually active artists. The galleries, theatres and museums of Austria should now become a site for intensified social protest (from artists from every country) and not abandoned as contaminated sites. To abandon these cultural sites plays into the FPOE's isolationist and anti-cultural rhetoric;
particularly at this moment, a renewed role for art as a materialization of social protest is called for, not a more passive boycotting.

His arguments speak more of his insolence or arrogance and exaggerated self-esteem, leaving the international art community (being always eager for scandals) with panicked questions (going as far as: May I still be in touch with you or should I make an "official statement" by boycotting our personal contact?). And, even worse, his distorting statements tempt us to draw the conclusion that he might play consciously/unconsciously into the hands of the persons now in power. Analysis and effective action against the actually existing neo-racism within globalization and newly configured retrograde nationalism within Austria are needed, not mere reaction drawing predictable parallels which obscure actual social relations. Especially concerning this aspect we are eager to hear some clarifying re-positioning from Mr. Fleck.

Overall, we rely on the solidarity and participation of our colleagues to secure the possibility for us (and them) to continue acting on an international platform --and to use that platform to effectively express our resistance.

Sabine Bitter
Jeff Derksen
Barbara Holub
Ortrun Lanzner
Ruth Schnell
Guenther Selichar
Helmut Weber

Andrea van der Straeten
Paul Rajakovics
Shelly Silver
Max Moswitzer
Eugen Danzinger
Hannes Priesch
Loredana Flore-Selichar
Erwin Redl
Leo Schatzl
Jayce Salloum
Reinhold Grether
Oliver Ressler
Hubertus von Amelunxen
Margarete Neumann
Francois Davin
Markus Huemer
Martina Zwölfer
Margherita Spiluttini
Anke Mellin
Gunter Schneider
Armin Medosch
Julia Meltzer
Bernhard Cella
Oliver Hockenhull
Martin Heigl
Adi Sandbichler
Kurt Zapfel
Martin Krenn
Lisa Holzer
Jean-Noël Montagné
Virginia Chapman

>> original text by Robert Fleck

Put your name on the list!

Demo Vienna 12.2.00

http://www.undergroundresistance.org/
http://www.government-austria.at/
http://www.t0.or.at/stickers
http://midihy.mur.at/newsline/aktuell.shtml
http://www.mip.at/projekte/TransAct/
http://www.azw.at/architektur.politik/
http://www.reaustria.org/
http://betazine.org/
http://www.dextro.org/krise/
http://www.t0.or.at/gettoattack
http://www.popo.at
http://www.gegenschwarzblau.cjb.net/
http://www.futurelinks.at/haiderwatch/
http://www.sos-mitmensch.at/
http://www.demokratische-offensive.at/
http://o5.or.at/
http://www.aktion-zivilcourage.at/quickframe.html
http://webring.telnet.at/list.php3

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	As Austrian artists and cultural workers we strictly reject the current Austrian government. This government stands for an escalation of the politics of simplification, populistic agitation, growth of media monopolies and racist xenophobia which have increasingly governed everyday political life during the last year - unfortunately not soley in Austria (in this sense Austria is both symptomatic and particular). Since the OEVP enabled the FPOE to participate in the government --a party which has to be attributed neofascist tendencies -- for the first time we find ourselves confronted with a situation in which the government has to secure their position in front of the population by massive police protection: a population which makes their resistance public against this government by demonstrations and other various forms of social protest. In this context we are compelled to strongly reject the cynisism of Robert Fleck's current statement in which he attempts to conflate national socialism and the situation in Austria today -- an irresponsible and inconsiderate reaction in front of historical facts which minimizes the historical actualities of the period of national socialism and distorts the form of neo-racism and nationalism of the current situation. Robert Fleck draws a completely distorted image of the situation of artists, using the same kind of populistic language that we should now be particularly wary of and fight actively. Apart from that, who empowered Mr. Fleck to be the speaker in the name of all Austrian artists? How can he consider himself as "one of the last internationally active Austrian art critics"? The call to boycott Austrian artists and institutions is irresponsible, contraproductive and is equal to an incapacitation and generalization of actually active artists. The galleries, theatres and museums of Austria should now become a site for intensified social protest (from artists from every country) and not abandoned as contaminated sites. To abandon these cultural sites plays into the FPOE's isolationist and anti-cultural rhetoric; particularly at this moment, a renewed role for art as a materialization of social protest is called for, not a more passive boycotting. His arguments speak more of his insolence or arrogance and exaggerated self-esteem, leaving the international art community (being always eager for scandals) with panicked questions (going as far as: May I still be in touch with you or should I make an "official statement" by boycotting our personal contact?). And, even worse, his distorting statements tempt us to draw the conclusion that he might play consciously/unconsciously into the hands of the persons now in power. Analysis and effective action against the actually existing neo-racism within globalization and newly configured retrograde nationalism within Austria are needed, not mere reaction drawing predictable parallels which obscure actual social relations. Especially concerning this aspect we are eager to hear some clarifying re-positioning from Mr. Fleck. Overall, we rely on the solidarity and participation of our colleagues to secure the possibility for us (and them) to continue acting on an international platform --and to use that platform to effectively express our resistance.
Sabine Bitter Jeff Derksen Barbara Holub Ortrun Lanzner Ruth Schnell Guenther Selichar Helmut Weber Andrea van der Straeten Paul Rajakovics Shelly Silver Max Moswitzer Eugen Danzinger Hannes Priesch Loredana Flore-Selichar Erwin Redl Leo Schatzl Jayce Salloum Reinhold Grether Oliver Ressler Hubertus von Amelunxen Margarete Neumann Francois Davin Markus Huemer Martina Zwölfer Margherita Spiluttini Anke Mellin Gunter Schneider Armin Medosch Julia Meltzer Bernhard Cella Oliver Hockenhull Martin Heigl Adi Sandbichler Kurt Zapfel Martin Krenn Lisa Holzer Jean-Noël Montagné Virginia Chapman	>> original text by Robert Fleck Put your name on the list! Demo Vienna 12.2.00


	http://www.undergroundresistance.org/ http://www.government-austria.at/ http://www.t0.or.at/stickers http://midihy.mur.at/newsline/aktuell.shtml http://www.mip.at/projekte/TransAct/ http://www.azw.at/architektur.politik/ http://www.reaustria.org/ http://betazine.org/ http://www.dextro.org/krise/ http://www.t0.or.at/gettoattack http://www.popo.at http://www.gegenschwarzblau.cjb.net/ http://www.futurelinks.at/haiderwatch/ http://www.sos-mitmensch.at/ http://www.demokratische-offensive.at/ http://o5.or.at/ http://www.aktion-zivilcourage.at/quickframe.html http://webring.telnet.at/list.php3
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