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Reporting
in Austria is almost always in the form of short notes about incidents
at the demos. Here are some excerpts from articles which are more general
in coverage or show how statements by the participants are instrumentalised:
„Rioters march every Thursday
in Vienna: Demos are already costing us 82 million.“
„Today on Thursday evening
there will, in all probability, be another of those demonstrations which
count among the most superfluous things which the political scene has had
to offer in the last years. Firstly, because they’ve become boring, terribly
boring. Secondly, because they are counter-productive. Anyone who has looked
at how the opinions of the voters with regard to these manifestations have
been and are articulated, ask themselves what the organisers of such mini-mobilisations
are actually aiming to achieve - other than to offer holiday fun for people
who have nothing better to do. Wouldn’t it be better to read a book? (...)
„The Thursday Demo: Government
opponents are still not tired of celebrating their unease week in week
out. Holl: It’s not a political protest
„The Austria Bashers (Critics)
traditionally find big words for themselves and few words about their own
sins against democracy. They keep quiet about the terror attacks of the
Thursday Demos...".
„Just how peaceful and
harmless the demos since the formation of the government really are, is
shown by the figures from the Ministry of the Interior and the Vienna Police
Headquarters: The additional over-time for the police, who have had to
keep the militant left-wing riotors under control for more half a year
now, swallowed more than 45 million. ...
In the evening edition, however, the last sentence of the same article read differently: „... again this Thursday
1800 government opponents were marching - among them at least 800 professional
demonstrators known to the police...“
Excerpts from the press reports about the Thursday demonstration on Feb. 22, 2001: „That the night ended
with various seriously injured people also hurt the peaceful demonstrators.“
„Opera ball demonstration
turned into an orgy of violence!
„Police stormed the center
of chaos
„After the end of the
opera ball demonstration, the police stormed the center of chaos in Vienna-Favoriten.
There, the violent core of 100 disguised people retreated to celebrate
their victory. Upon searching the house, the arms garage of the professional
demonstrators was found. [...] Vienna’s president of the police forces,
Dr. Marek: “100 of the approximately 800 demonstrators formed the hard
core. This group had been ready for violence from the beginning. There
were 42 arrests. 21 policemen and four demonstrators were injured.“
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