Austria to Close Women's Directorate (fwd)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 14:03:30 -0500
From: Sara Lennox <lennox@german.umass.edu>
Reply-To: MatFem@csf.colorado.edu
To: MATERIALIST FEMINISM <MatFem@csf.colorado.edu>
Subject: Austria to Close Women's Directorate

>>
>>URGENT ALERT FOR ACTION !! (please forward to all)
>>
>>9 February 2000
>>
>>Dear women,
>>
>>Please help us because otherwise most of Austria's women's
>>NGOs
>>have to close down. The work of decades can be ruined very soon.
>>Please,
>>remember last week's plea. Send us lists of addresses (preferably
>>e-mail)
>>of the most important media and politicians in your country!!
>>
>>Here is our statement which we will ask you to pass on:
>>
>>
>>WOMEN's NGO's THREATENED:
>>RIGHT WING AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT ABOLISHES WOMEN'S MINISTRY
>>
>>
>>Most of the Austrian women's organisations and projects are faced
>>with the possibility that they will receive no or not enough state funding
>>as a result of the controversial right-wing government's decision to
>>abolish the Ministry for Women's Affairs. This not only means that women's
>>affairs have been demoted to a junior department in a sprawling Ministry
>>of Social Affairs but also that the budget will come to about forty per
>>cent of last year's level.
>>
>>This accords with the overall policy of the new government,
>>comprising the conservative People's Party and the populist right-wing
>>Freedom Party, which defines its policy with regard to fifty per cent of
>>the population basically as an integral part of family policy.
>>
>>Vice-chancellor Susanne Riess-Passer claimed in a televised interview on
>>February 8, 2000 that the former women's ministry had been merely symbolic
>>because it had no budget and no powers (both claims untrue). She used this
>>argument to justify the ministry's abolition altogether. There will not be
>>a larger budget for women; at least not for independent organisations.
>>
>>Discrediting NGOs
>>
>>The new coalition partner, the right-wing Freedom Party, is not reticent
>>in voicing its opinion on the role of NGOs. For thirty years, they claim,
>>they have received funding from a government lead by Social Democrats
>>for doing nothing. This not only discredits the invaluable work done by
>>NGOs in Austria (and world-wide) and disregards the recognition NGOs have
>>received in all the relevant international bodies like the UN and the EU.
>>It is slander.
>>
>>Massive protest in Austria - Since it became clear that for the first time
>>in Europe a party whose members praise the Nazi regime and play down its
>>atrocities will be allowed into government, a wave of protest has spread
>>across the country. Peaceful demonstrations by thousands of people are
>>being held every evening. A big rally will be taking place on February 19,
>>2000. About a quarter of a million demonstrators from all over Austria are
>>expected.
>>
>>We urge you to support the women's NGOs in their struggle to
>>survive and all Austrians who are strictly against allowing racists and
>>neo-fascists to govern a country in the European Union!
>>
>>Please, write letters of protest via E-mail to:
>>
>>- The new Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel
>><schuessel@oevp.or.at> who is mainly responsible
>>for bringing the Freedom Party into government
>>
>>- To Austrian President Thomas Klestil
>><thomas.klestil@hofburg.at>
>>
>>MEDIA
>>Please, also support us on an international level and address your
>>governments to put further pressure on this shameful Austrian Government,
>>· address the media in your country to keep reporting on the situation
>>
>>MONEY
>>Please, help us with donations to get us through this crisis: our
>>account:
>>Verein autonome österreichische Frauenhäuser WAVE our account number: 610
>>782 021 our bank details: Bank Austria, Mariahilfer Strasse 70, A-1070
>>Vienna, Austria, bank code: 20151, international swift code: BKAUATWW
>>____________________
>>
>>Thank you very, very much!!
>>Verena & Birgit
>>WAVE Office
>>c/o Information Centre Against Violence
>>Austrian Women's Shelter Network
>>Hofgasse 9/1/4 A-1050 Vienna, Austria
>>phone: ++43-1-5482720 fax: ++43-1-5482720-27
>>wave@xpoint.at
>>
>>web site: http://www.wave-network.org
>
>>
>>
>