Police brutality in Graz

Numerous charges of resistance and disruptive action during an assembly Massive steps taken against persons documenting police procedures

On Friday evening, 2000-10-09, a grave and brutal, yet completely unmotivated, police action took place at the main square of Graz, where the Styrian people's party held an election rally for the coming provincial elections on Oct. 15th , which was headed by its candidate, the current Styrian governor and Waltraud Klasnic, and "supported" by a special guest, the Bavarian far-right-wing politician Emund Stoiber. About a dozen protesters were also among the audience, trying to hold up a banner saying "Organise resistance". Yet without much success, for a large police contingent snatched from their hands almost immediately and destroyed it with active help from people's party sympathisers. Members of the special unit "Taurus" (known in Graz for their brutal ways of enforcing safety during football matches - the translator) encircled the small group and did not let any get away from nor to them, but the people inside this ring did nothing else but shout "Stoiber is a racist!", 4 times exactly.
To your information: Stoiber is known for racist quotes like: "We don't want non-German ways of life to become established here (in Bavaria - the translator), for they don't uphold our traditions." At the rally in Graz, Stoiber hallucinated of "Europeans" being "only 5% of the World's population" and, therefore, having to take up "the fight", also he praised under thunderous applause the "traditionally good axis Berlin-Vienna".
After the end of the rally, the group wished to leave the square together. However, this was no longer possible: The policemen dragged the activists under use of violence to the roadside and behind a stand - away from cameras, passer-bys and the police's own surveillance camera. While the officer in charge ordered the activists to be searched, his men attacked without warning, threw them to the ground, kicked and punched them, handcuffed them, pushed and dragged them into entrances and back alleys. An only 18-year-old was thrown to the ground, pushed down and attacked by three policemen. A people's party sympathiser pulled viciously a protester's hair right before the policemen's eyes, as the police was holding him down and handcuffing him. A minor, who complained about damaged glasses, was threatened with a charge of resistance against the police by a policeman. Bags were snatched away, searched, and things like leaflets or books were confiscated. After having dragged an activist into a small alley, officers fastened his already tight handcuffs even tighter, without any obvious reason or cause. People's party sympathisers cheered the policemen to hit the protesters harder, even actively attacked and kicked them.
The police took massive steps against people, who were only trying to document the situation: A reporter from "Radio Helsinki" (a local free radio station - the translator) was hindered at taping the proceedings and, after a 50-year-old man had knocked the recorder from his hands, asked by the state police for his ID card, on the pretext of having disturbed police procedures. Another observer carrying a camera was dragged into a corner, pushed against a wall and hit by members of the state police, hsi camera taken away from him and obviously searched for a film, although without success. Another activist, who carried a recorder, was held down, his arm twisted by the police, in order to wrestle it from his hands, but as this wasn't successful, his fingers were brutally "removed". When he later asked the police to give it back, he was told that had been lost in the tumult.
Charges were brought against the activists at random: some were charged on the pretext of disturbing public order, others of disruptive action during an assembly and even some on the pretext of "resistance against police force". About 13 persons are altogether affected, including some minors (!) - not only administrative penalties will await them, but also even several lawsuits!
However, it was possible to get the ID numbers of several involved officers: 1473 BPD Graz, 1044 BPD Graz, 1568 BPD Graz, 1825 BPD Graz and 494 BPD Graz.
Never before, such a completely unfounded and excessive (ab)use of police force has taken place in Graz! Not only the brutality of the police and the unfounded charges, the facts that things like cameras, recorders and personal belongings were "confiscated" or even "lost", simply taken from their owners and that the police tried to stop any reporting of the proceedings, are an alarming and shocking truth. Equally shocking is to see how the normal citizens responded to this act of police violence: cheering or even actively taking part in attacking people who were not able to defend themselves - people whose only "guilt" it was to publicly display their different political opinion and their unwillingness to let racists proceed unstopped. What we are now asking for is, that political groups and organisations, to whom "human rights" mean something to, not only in Graz, but as many possible, massively and publicly protest to the police, city and public of Graz! Those who remain silent now are also and equally responsible, if, like in this incident, laws and humans rights are arrogantly disregarded. If no further word is spoken about this incident, then we would have to recognise that for many people human rights are only empty words! Do not let this happen, do not look away!!! RESIST!

MayDay Graz, Graz am 06.10.2000

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