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Austrian National Assembly Candidate Denies Genocide

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  • Austrian National Assembly Candidate Denies Genocide

    voelkermord.at - Association for the Documentation of Genocides
    Vienna - Austria
    Email [email protected]
    Web: www.voelkermord.at
    19.12.2006

    Austrian National Assembly Candidate Denies Genocide

    oN The Austrian National Assembly election day (October 1st, 2006) our
    organisation's "Voelkermord.at -Gesellschaft fuer die Dokumentation von
    Voelkermorden" (voelkermord.at - Association for the Documentation of
    Genocides) attention was called to an election poster that was publicly
    displayed at the Victor Adler Platz in Vienna's Tenth District.

    The poster, written in Turkish language, was the work of the Austrian
    Peoples Party (OeVP) district council Mustafa Iscel. On this poster,
    he asked Austrians with immigrant backgrounds to vote for him. One of
    the slogans he announced was: "If you don't want that the Armenian
    Bill to pass the Parliament … vote for the OeVP." A fast
    Internet investigation showed that on Mr. Iscel’s homepage,
    which was hosted by the Austrian Peoples Party, you could see the
    election poster and download it.

    Several groups agreed to undertake our protest and we send a letter
    signed by six organisations to the OeVP-Vienna, in which we asked
    for a response to this election poster.

    On the fifth of October, once could read an interview from Mr. Iscel
    in the Turkish newspaper Huerriyet. Reflecting his view, only the
    racist and xenophobic Austrian political parties won this election.
    OeVP 34,3% (-8,0); SPOe 35,3% (-1,2); FPOe 11,0% (+1,0); Green 11,0%
    (+1,5); BZOe 4,1% others the Green party is the most liberal party
    in the Austrian spectrum concerning foreign policy.

    And he added: "Austria was and is, compared to other European
    countries, always behind them. The political parties in Austria
    don’t see that the time is ripe for a Congressman of (foreign)
    descent/background and as I see it, they are not ready for it now. In
    other European countries like Germany and Belgium politicians of
    Turkish origin are making politics for the Turks there."

    On October 18, 2006 the Austrian daily Newspaper "Die Presse"
    published an article about the Iscel Poster and quoted Mr. Iscel:
    " there was no mass murdering. That was a resettlement because of the
    war. People had died because of disease and other contagion." In the
    same article you can read that according to the Peoples Party district
    chairman, Alfred Hoch, Mr. Iscel is an "outstanding district council"
    (member) and was always on "party line".

    The next day the "Die Presse" published the statement of Vienna Peoples
    Party spokesman Norbert Walter: "We distance ourselves explicitly
    from these (there was no mass murdering …) statements. This
    isn't part of our policy."

    Six years ago the Austrian National Assembly avoided acknowledgement
    of the Armenian Genocide by referring to Resolution (50/A(E)), brought
    up by the Green Party, of the Human Rights Commission of the Austrian
    Parliament. There in 2002, especially under pressure from the Austrian
    Peoples Party (OeVP) and the foreign minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner
    (OeVP), this commission did formulate a new resolution, by keeping
    set phrases. Because of presumed Turkish pettiness, you can't find
    the word Armenia or Genocide in the entire document.

    On October 21 this year Mr. Iscel gave the Turkish newspaper Zaman
    (Turkish release) an interview in which he said: "I stressed in my
    campaign the topic "there was no Armenian genocide" [..] Now they
    expect an apology from me. They foresee that I will retract this
    statement. But certainly, I won't take back this statement. I will
    be true to my word."

    In this article Mr. Iscel styled himself as a victim and hero by
    announcing that the "Armenian Lobby" was a threat to him and the
    Austrian Peoples Party (OeVP) but he wouldn't change his point of
    view. This article was finally printed in the Zaman (Austria) on
    page 3.

    On the after noon of October 23, Mr. Iscel resigned the position
    of district council. We received a letter from the Austrian Peoples
    Party with a clear excuse and they (OeVP) clarified their position
    on the Armenian genocide.

    On 25th of October the Peoples Party- Vienna has introduced the
    Resolution "for respect and acknowledgement of ethnic minorities as
    a principal element of European human rights policy" in the Vienna
    Federal States Parliament (not the Austrian Parliament). The Vienna
    Federal Parliament (majority Socialistic Party ) decide unanimously
    for this resolution. Federal Vienna Parliament member Dr. Franz
    Ferdinand Wolf (Peoples Party-Vienna) said on 25th of October in the
    Federal Parliament: "the Peoples Party-Vienna condemns every kind of
    displacement and genocide."

    In an Internet-Forum PUSULA.at, you will find an Article about Mr.
    Iscel, where the question was raised (why you are silence) concerning
    why other politicians of Turkish origin did not help Mr. Iscel. On
    the same site, you can find a protest letter against the Peoples
    Party-Vienna, ready to download.

    The question that was raised - why the others don't speak up - is a
    good question. There was a candidate's election poster hanging for
    over a month in Turkish coffee houses, Turkish restaurants and even
    openly on the street, and none of the related Turkish politicians
    (whom know Turkey language), doesn't matter which party they belong
    to, have ever heard of this Poster?
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