Thursday, February 9th 2012

Nobel Prize laureate Elfriede Jelinek and Green federal council representatives protest against event of the Iranian regime in Vienna

Prominent figures and STOP THE BOMB demand cancellation of propaganda event at venue of the City of Vienna

In an Open Letter, Nobel Prize laureate Elfriede Jelinek, federal council representatives of the Green Party Marco Schreuder and Efgani Dönmez, former president of the Austrian Federation of Trade Unions Fritz Verzetnisch, authors Robert Schindel and Erwin Riess, university professors Anton Pelinka, Wolfgang Neugebauer and Peter Gstettner as well as other personalities and exiled Iranians urge together with the STOP THE BOMB coalition to cancel the propaganda event of the Iranian embassy which is supposed to take place on February 11th, the anniversary of the "Islamic Revolution", in the VHS Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, a municipal adult education center.
 
In a letter which is directed, among others, to Mayor Michael Häupl and City councillor for Education Christian Oxonitsch as well as City councillor for public housing Michael Ludwig, who is also a member of the board of directors of the Wiener Volkshochschulen (the adult education centers), it says: "For the last couple of months, the city of Vienna, despite numerous protests, has insisted to rent out venues to the Iranian regime. (...) While Western states have decided to impose stronger sanctions, which are being supported by the Austrian government, the City of Vienna repeatedly reaches out its hand to the Iranian regime. Especially in view of the escalation during the last couple of weeks, it is unbearable that the Iranian regime can go on to spread its poisonous propaganda in Vienna. Only some days ago, the spiritual leader Ali Kahmenei called Israel a 'cancer' which has to be eliminated. And in preparation of the election to the Majles, the Iranian pseudo parliament, the regime is tightening its repression against the opposition."
 
The signatories of this letter demand from those responsible at the Vienna City Council and the Wiener Volkshochschulen (Vienna adult education centers) "to cancel this event at a venue of the city of Vienna immediately". The complete letter and list of signees can be found here >>