Austria: not just another demonstration
Workers' Power Global, Vienna

Ever since Haider and his Freedom Party came to power, there has been a demonstration in Vienna every Thursday against the government. The evening march across the centre of the city has, in fact, become something of a routine.

But not Thursday 8 December. Although the demonstrators met as usual at 7 o'clock, after that, things began to change. Originally, the main slogans of the demonstration had been in solidarity with employees in the commercial sector who have been involved in lengthy wage negotiations and who recently lost their traditional holiday on December 8th.

As the demonstration assembled, word went round that Peter Westenthaler had been invited to take part in a panel discussion organised by the Social Democratic Party of Austria, the SPO. Westenthaler, an open racist, is something of a joke on the Austrian left because his original name is Hojac, which means his family originally came from Slovakia. 'Westenthaler', on the other hand, is almost 'more German than the Germans'.

The fact that a so-called workers' party should permit the openly racist Hojac to spread his ideas in public is bad enough. There is a long tradition in the workers' movement of not allowing any platform to fascists, racists and sexists. But for a party from the workers' movement to actually provide a a platform for such racist ideas is even worse. However, it is not really surprising. Socialist Party Interior Ministers, above all Franz Loschnak, with his new 'aliens' laws, were the first to make state racism respectable in Austria.

On Thursday, demonstrators wanted to give 'Westenthaler' a warm welcome. We decided to march to the 'Future Workshop', the SPO's discussion forum where he was due to speak. Police and SPO stewards prevented us from going into the building, saying that we had nothing to contribute to the discussion. When members of the Austrian section of the LRCI reminded them of the long tradition of the workers' movement opposing the spreading of racist ideas and asked whether they would have invited Hitler to an open panel discussion as well, they were told, 'Perhaps it would have stopped him going so far' !!! No comment is necessary - but obviously no lessons have been learnt from history.

Once the police and SPO heavies had stopped us, we decided to make our contribution to the discussion from outside the building. Our slogans against the government, the racists, the FPO and the 'true German' Hojac could be clearly heard inside the hall - as could the obvious slogan of the hour, 'Who betrayed us? - Social Democrats!'

Despite freezing temperatures and driving snow, demonstrators stayed to the very end of this lengthy meeting - to make sure that Mr Hojac got the send off that he deserved. In the end he only escaped under the protection of the Viennese riot police, the WEGA.

Of course, even lively demonstrations like this are not enough to stop racism or the welfare cuts, but they are important in maintaining opposition to the government. We must step up direct action and demonstrations so that, wherever they go, we are there to oppose them.

In Austria, in particular, this is also the way to dynamise the Thursday demos again and to make sure they do not become just a Thursday evening routine.