repression in austria
from indymedia.org:
At around 7:00 am on May 21, 2008, members of the Austrian elite police force (WEGA)
stormed several apartments across the country. Some of the residents were woken up
in their beds at gunpoint. A total of twentythree (23) apartments, houses and offices
were searches in Vienna, Lower Austria, Styria and Tirol. In many of the apartments
the WEGA kicked in the doors. The officers stormed the apartments like in bad
Hollywood movies. Only after the residents had been intimidated, ”secured” on the
wall and/or put in handcuffs did the police start the searches.
All the arrestees are active in the animal rights movement in Austria.
The offices of at least 4 animal rights group were search by police.
The 10 people, a few of which are currently on hunger strike, are
still in custody. On a bail hearing on June 6th, the judge decided to
keep them in jail for at least 4 weeks further.
There have been solidarity demonstrations in Austria and around
the world to demand the immediate release of the activists and
for the authorities to drop the charges.
