A-Infos (en) International day of protest of Anti-Deportation Campaigns

[John O <ncadc@ncadc.demon.co.uk>]

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      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
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National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC)
101 Villa Road
Birmingham B19 1NH
Phone: 0121-554-6947  Fax:  0870-055-4570
E-mail ncadc@ncadc.demon.co.uk  Web  www.ncadc.demon.co.uk/

Marcus O, another forced removal, another death

International day of protest against the Killing of Marcus O

Wednesday 12 May 1999

Demonstrate outside your Austrian embassy

Organise a fax protest to the Austrian Minister karl Schloegl
(Fax numbers and model letter at end of message)

    On May 1, 1999 a 25 year old Nigerian  Marcus O. was killed, during a
forced deportation He was handcuffed, chained and his mouth was closed with
adhesive tape by the three escorting policemen, pretending that the other
passengers of the deporting Balkan Air flight should not be disturbed.

    Marcus O. suffocated.

    Sadness and rage are gripping us, but this sadness and rage are mixed
with desperation because we know that the killing of Marcus O. was no
exceptional case.

   On the contrary: This murder is part of the racist continuity.

   When they say "... this is a regrettable accident... ...a slippage of
one single policeman..." then  this is a shameless, cynical lie

  Racist attacks by the police against people with black skin are the daily
practice. They are dragged out of the subway, they are beaten up during
routine craft controls, humiliated, strangled, tortured - murdered. And
they have no chance to defend themselves or to report their torturers,
because if they do so they are the ones who are convicted of resistance
against the executive power.

 The courts use racist language. . . .does not everybody know how violent
the drug-dealing "bimbos" are? (a judge: "....why don't we all just say
bimbo that makes it easier for all of us ....").

   In recent times more and more cases of assaults by the police became
public, but not because they did not happen before but rather because
policemen became careless.

   No wonder, whatever becomes public about police methods has no
consequences at all.

    No policemen has to be afraid of any consequence.

    Most likely the killers of Marcus O. will also get away with it.

    We don't believe that the police will change their attitude through
punishment but if this murder and all other numerous cases of torture and
abuse have no consequence than murder will continue in Austria.

    And all the ministers say they did not know ..
.
    "I don't no anything about such deportation customs " the minister of
home affairs (Schloegl) tries to assure us, and this although his
predecessor (Loeschnak) had to admit that chaining and gagging are common
practice.

  The chief in command of public safety, Sika, knows how to impress with
racist statements such as: " .....who knows with what kind of physical
strength They (meaning the black Africans) resist. . .  and is careful with
his criticism (against chaining and gagging).

   Of course one resists when awaiting deportation to death, war, rape,
torture, hunger and poverty - one resists because one has nothing left to
lose.

  What a pity for Schloegel & Co. that not even this can be used as a lame
excuse for the humiliating, disdaining chaining and gagging of Marcus O.

   Because both the airport personnel and the officers taking care of him
during deportation-prison before final deportation state that resistance
was neither expected nor performed. And even if this was the case every
human being must have the freedom to defend his/her life!

    The leading figures in politics and the newspaper Kronen-Zeitung agree:
    It was a sad accident. So they make the deportation-machinery more
perfect.
    If some airlines refuse to take deported ones on board they have other
solutions ready: Military planes can also do it or even better.

   The European Community can coordinate group-deportation-flights.

    Resisting "illegals" can be chained and gagged and if this sight is all
too unlovely they still can fix them up with a nice psycho-pharmacological
shot (this is done already anyway but now it will be legalised by law).
....

    but .... Handcuffing, chaining, suppressing screams with pillows, shots
are all common daily practice in the fortress Europe.

    Since 1992 1300 refugees have lost their life on the EU external
borders, however, the exact number of deportations to death is unknown.

   Who cares when an "illegal" person starves to death or is tortured,
raped or murdered after deportation into his home country.

    Deaths and serious injury during forced deportations are increasing.

    Deportation is torture

    Deportation is murder

    No matter if directly or indirectly.

    On September 22, 1998 the 20 year old Nigerian Semira Adamu was
suffocated with a pillow by the Belgian police during the deportation
flight.
    A Rumanian's mouth was taped by the Dutch police in the same way as
Marcus O's. He survived but suffers from cerebral damage caused by a lack
of oxygen and sits in a wheel chair.
    Joy Gardiner in the UK in 1993 was killed in exactly the same fashion
as Marcus O.

   These are the cases that became public but how many more are unknown?
And the consequences? None!
    Not in Austria. The Belgian minister of home affairs had to resign but
in Austria a campaign to support our minister Schloegl and his
collaborators started.
    In Belgium airlines that had performed deportations were put under such
severe pressure that they refused to take part in such practices any
longer.
    In Austria Mr. Lauda is bragging with his patriotism in that in a
constitutional state it is the duty of his airline to carry out
deportations, quote these people are "illegals" and we have to get rid of
them.
   The newspaper Krone pursues intensive racist agitation and writes that
Marcus O. is responsible for his own death.
    The "voice of the nation" utters statements like: "he probably choked
from a coke filled condom ..!"  The racist propaganda of the mass media
takes effect in that the association between "black skin and drug-dealer"
is present in every head.

    Nobody even thinks about resigning, the  policemen who killed Marcus O,
are not even suspended from duty!

Break up the racist consent!

Racism is killing!

No one is illegal!

We demand the resignation of Schloegel, Sika, Matzka!\

Down with the racist police terror!

Stop the killings!

Down with the racist laws!

Freedom for all deportees!

Open borders for all!
____________________________________
Send a fax of protest to:

The Ministry of the Interior
Karl Schloegl
demanding his resignation
Fax: 00-43-1-531-26-3910

A proposed text for a Fax of protest:
to the Austrian Minister of the Interior karl Schlorg
-----------------------------------------------------

To the Ministry of the Interior
Karl Schloegl
Herrengasse  7
A-1010 Wien
Fax: 0043/1/531 26-3910

   We have been told,  that on May 1st 1999  a Nigerian Marcus O. was
killed during his forced deportation to Sofia.

   Marcus had been chained and  in addition, his mouth had been "closed" by
a gummed tape.

   Once more a human being who has not had the privilege to be a citizen of
the rich European Union has had to pay with his life  for demanding the
right for asylum.

   More than 900 people who lost their lives in the attempt to move to the
European Union since 1992.

 Last year the Nigerian Semira Adamu was killed by Belgium policemen. The
Belgium Ministry of the Interior had to resign.

    We demand: Karl Schloegl that you resign.

    We also demand: that the Secretary General for Public Security, Michael
Sika, resigns

     -no more deportations

    -suspend the racist laws for asylum in Austria and in the European Union

    -removal of the responsible persons for the death of Marcus O. from
their positions

With deep anger,

--------------------------------------------------------
For people in the UK, the fax number of the Austrian Embassy  is:
0171-344-0292
protests should be marked for the attention of:
Ambassador:Eva Nowotny

Austrian Embassy
Eve Nowotny
18 Belgrave Mews West
London SW1X 8HU
Pho: 0171-235-3731
0171-344-0292

Dear Ms Eve Notwotny

   We have been told,  that on May 1st 1999  a Nigerian Marcus O. was
killed during his forced deportation to Sofia.

   Marcus had been chained and  in addition, his mouth had been "closed" by
a gummed tape.

   Once more a human being who has not had the privilege to be a citizen of
the rich European Union has had to pay with his life  for demanding the
right for asylum.

   More than 900 people who lost their lives in the attempt to move to the
European Union since 1992.

 Last year the Nigerian Semira Adamu was killed by Belgium policemen. The
Belgium Ministry of the Interior had to resign.

    We demand: Karl Schloegl that you resign.

    We also demand: that the Secretary General for Public Security, Michael
Sika, resigns

     -no more deportations

    -suspend the racist laws for asylum in Austria and in the European Union

    -removal of the responsible persons for the death of Marcus O. from
their positions

With deep anger,

---------------------------------------
Please send details of any; protest to:

Rosa Antifa Wien <raw@swi.priv.at>

Update Monday 10 May 1999

Last saturday in Vienna a very powerful demonstration regarding the killing
of Marcus O. took place. 3000-4000 people participated and protested
against the usual police-methods, the racist laws, against the "deportation
laws" and against the racist mainstream in Austria. The mass-media did
report nearly nothing about the demonstration. But we won't give up! This
Wednesday (12.May) there will be at least 2 demonstrations here in Vienna
on occasion of the international action day. Just now while the racist
propaganda gets even worse, we have to fight against it with all of our
possibilities!
The three policemen who killed Marcus weren't even suspended. The minister
of the interior is being unconditionally supported, and states that he
didn't know about such deportation-methods though while his term of office
a court order explicitly prohibited taping somebody's mouth. According to
the ministry,aping the mouth would not happen again not happen again, and
they will use crash-helmets in the future for deportations, because they
"would choke the cries and avoid bites". Instead of "ordinary" racist
policemen they will use cops of the notorious special squad WEGA
(anti-terror and riot police) for deportations, because they are trained "
specially psychological". How "specially psychological" trained they are,
can be seen when they show an extreme brutality in their actions,and in
their ideological background: in the police union elections, the union AUF
from the extreme right-wing FPOE reaches more than 80% of the WEGA-cops. We
mention this to document the racist climate...Every resistance in Austria
is being ignored, but pressure from outside is something they cannot ignore!

Source: Rosa Antifa Wien <raw@swi.priv.at>

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