Police raids in Austria; 10 AR activists arrested

http://at.indymedia.org/node/10336

On the 21st of May 2008 around 07:00 pm WEGA officers raided several
appartments in Vienna. Some of the residents, who had been still asleep,
were woken up in their beds at the point of the pistol. At least 14
people in Austria were affected by the raids. Most of them live in
Vienna and Graz, one appartment was also searched in Tirol.

In several appartments the doors were kicked in by the WEGA officers.
Just like in bad Hollywood movies the officers stormed into the
appartments. Only after the residents had been intimidated, “securely”
put against the wall, respectively handcuffed, the officers began the
searchings.

The grounds for the searchings is the accusation of the formation of a
criminal organisation according to §278a StGB. There are warrants of
arrest concerning 12 people whose appartments were searched. They are
based on danger of collusion, since the persons concerned for example
communicated with the help of encoded e-mails, as well as the danger of
them committing a crime, because the affected partly have been active in
the animal rights scene for a long time. Both arguments directly
contradict the presumption of innocence. A criminal organisation is
being created absolutely arbitrarily and made responsible for all the
unsolved felonies of the last years. The accusations are not backed up
by any proof, on the contrary: the executive seemingly hopes to find
hints to the affirmation of their suspicion. This suspicion of the
formation of a criminal organisation could not and will not be backed
up, either by evidence or by speculations.

The affected were directly transferred from their appartments to
„Polzeianhaltezentrum“ Rossauer Straße await their arraignment during
the next 48 hours. Most of the affected were denied a call to a
confidant or a legal representative. Friends who wanted to check on them
were denied any dialogue with the affected.

There was no commensurability of the legal act. The early storming of
appartments must be characterised as completely overdrawn.

It remains open what the concrete cause for these operations. One should
assume that time and manner of the operations have political
backgorunds. All in all, disliked political action is being criminalised
and made impossible. Should this wave of repression remain unquestioned
it will also affect other forms of opposition and action.

The repression of left structures has reached a new peak with
yesterday’s wave of raids and arrests. Raids with mummed WEGA officers,
who kick in doors and wake sleeping people at the point of the pistol,
had not been used against the radical left during the last years. The
last time a similar raid was carried out was in 2001 after the
“Opernball” demonstrations.

Such an appearance of the authorities does not only count on
intimidating th affected. Friends and otherwise politically active
people are supposed to be frightened as well. Overdrwan and partly
brutal police operations are to convey that opposition does not
worthwhile. We must not let ourselves be isolated. Together we can talk
about our fears and develop strategies to deal with it.

Solidarity with those affected by the wave of arrests is in demand. No
matter if you’re vegan, feminist, anti-Fascist, against observation,
atomic power or police force – it addresses all of us even if only few
were affected right now. Those people arrested need our support and
solidarity. The legal aid is organizing lawyers and media work – get
active too!

Organize solidarity parties, donate for legal aid, network, get informed
about your rights concerning raids and refusal to give evidence!

Info hotline for persons concerned, friends, family: 0650/5926791
antirep2008@gmx.at

On the 26. May 2008, 10:00 a.m. there will be a press conference of the
legal aid in the press room of “Grüner Parlamentsclub”, Löwelstraße 12,
2. Stock.