Vienna’s district Ottakring, the area around the Brunnenpassage and the subway line U6 have been in the media focus for the past few weeks: As a negative disruptive factor to a supposedly idyllic society, it wasn’t poverty but the poor who were framed as a problem. Structural problems were not addressed, it’s now rather the presence of those who are marked as ‚undesirable‘ that is to be eliminated. In addition to this, alleged No-Go-Areas are being proclaimed: In this process, whole districts, in which there are problems, but which are not as disastrous as often proclaimed, are being portrayed as unsafe to enter. Thereby, further escalating and repressive measures are legitimized.
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Speech at the Refugees Welcome M19-demonstration in Vienna In the past few weeks, the current tightening of asylum law in Austria has been strongly criticised. This critique, as important as it is, was often based on on moral indignation, and rarely focused on a fundamental critique of the nation state itself. (mehr …)

Originally published in Malmö magazine

A report by Amnesty International about the initial reception camp for refugees in Traiskirchen confirms what refugees and anti-racist initiatives have been emphasising for some time: Austria’s treatment of refugees violates basic human rights. Indeed, the degrading treatment of people in Traiskirchen has worsened since the summer of 2015: Considering that there are now 1500 homeless refugee seekers, for whom there supposedly are no accodomations, the situation is significantly more alarming than in 2012, when refugees did a protest march from Traiskirchen to Vienna. There is a surge of help and practical support against these conditions. (mehr …)

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