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donate Declaration Austria - The Cultural Nation
We deny the Austrian People's Party and Freedom Party (FPÖ) coalition government's capacities to speak out in the name of culture and art, in their interest or in favour of their aims. Not only due to a shortage of professional requirements, but because of the lack of moral qualification.
A party making use of testimonials concerning the loyalty of SS-veterans' convictions, of the denial of NS-extermination camps by calling them "disciplinary camps", of playing down Third Reich-compulsory labour by the term "proper employment policy" and speculating with the fascist and national-socialist past as a whole, such a party cannot at the same time represent a democratic Austria after overcoming fascism and national-socialism. It is the Austrian People's Party's acceptance of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) as an "ordinary party" prior to the recent elections and the so-called apology and accepted insult to the democratic public "for statements attributed to myself (Jörg Haider)" that support the belief in the possibility of such a representation.
Regarding a government with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) legitimating the Freedom Party (FPÖ) as democratic - which would not have been possible by the Freedom Party's own efforts - international doubts are fully justified. Months ago these doubts were first provoked by the Freedom Party's slogan on the occasion of their election party: "Today we own Austria" (Germany) - "tomorrow Europe, too" (the whole world). Phrases like this with their roots in national-socialist and fascist propaganda are the usual vocabulary of the Freedom Party. The "Third Republic", "Election day is payday", the "March towards Vienna" and the selfdescription of the FPÖ as a "movement" are only some of the terms revived during the past 15 years.
No party in government in any country and no Austrian party except the ÖVP considers the Freedom Party to be an "ordinary party". We deny both coalition parties' rights to consider themselves to be the representatives of a cultural nation.
Vienna, Feb. 2000
Appell by: H. C. Artmann, Alfredo Bauer, Ulf Birbaumer, Paul Blaha, Barbara Büchner, Georg Bydlinski, Milo Dor, Helmut Eisendle, Franzobel, Walter Grond, Primavera Gruber, Sabine Gruber, Elfriede Hammerl, Josef Haslinger, Peter Henisch, Vintila Ivanceanu, Ernst Jandl, Elfriede Jelinek, Nils Jensen, Gert Jonke, Gerhard Kofler, Ludwig Laher, Jakov Lind, Heinz Lunzer, Didi Macher, Friederike Mayröcker, Heidi Pataki, Michael Pilz, Rosa Pock-Artmann, Doron Rabinovici, Werner Richter, Peter Rosei, Utta Roy-Seifert, Gerhard Rühm, Gerhard Ruiss, Helmut Seethaler, Heinz Sichrovsky, Bertram Karl Steiner, Christa Stippinger, Marlene Streeruwitz, Sylvia Treudl, Peter Turrini, Arthur West, Peter Paul Wiplinger, Klaus Zeyringer, IG Autorinnen Autoren, Grazer Autorenversammlung, Übersetzergemeinschaft, Berufsverband bildender Künstler, IG Kultur Österreich u.v.a.m.
Published 2000-02-15
Original in German
Contributed by Komitee Austria - The Cultural Nation
© Komitee Austria - The Cultural Nation
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