1988. július (161-183. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
i'l « KttNCARtAtt OCTOBWW> -J U&(3)áS^r "a^Q SÍM £ Editor: György Krassó * 24/D Little Russell Street * London. WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (írom abroad 441-430 2126) 161/1988 (E) 8th July, 1988 Mass Meeting in Vienna in Protest at Ceausescu*s "Settlement" Plán. The Situation of Refugees in Austria. Yesterday evening in Vienna more than 2000 Austrians and Hungarians, Romanians and Serbs living in Austria gathered fór an open air meeting on Stephansplatz to protest against the plán to destroy Románián villages. Speeches were made by ex-deputy mayor - Busek - who is now the leader of the Austrian Peoples Party town hall party faction and Norbert Gugerbauer the General Secretary of the Liberal Party. On behalf of the Greens Freda Meissner-Blau and Smole their representative fór national minorities condemned Ceaugescu*s plán. One of Austria*s most famous painters and designers, Fried- ensreich Hundertwasser, protested on behalf of a committee which represents more than 200 scientists and artists against the destruction of Transylvanian cultural monuments. All of the speakers demanded that the Austrian government asks support from the United Nations as the ancestors of the "alt Ostereicher" - ancient Austrians - who settled in Transylvania during the Monarchy would alsó suffer from this plán. Freda Meissner- Blau was of the opinion that Románia should be placed under a boycott involving both tourism and trade. After the meeting the Hungárián participants, who carried tricolours, marched to nearby Stephansdom where a quiet hour of prayer was led by a Hungárián priest, György Hegyi, before the Lady-altar. A meeting was organised fór next week by Hungarians living in Vienna fór the same purpose. The refugee question is a cause fór concem in Austria. Last week eighty Polish and a few Hungárián refugees went on hunger strike in the Treuskirchen Camp in protest against current practice according to which asylum to Polish or Hungárián refugees is only granted in exceptional cases and most of them do nőt récéivé residency permits either. The number of those who apply is very high: in an article in Magyar Hirlap ("Hungárián News") on June 27th it is reported that every day 50-60 Hungarians seek political asylum in Austria. Those who are turnéd down are violently expelled from the camp and are given back their national passports. There are reports that the same thing happens to Transylvanian refugees in Austria. The Minister of the Interior, Blecha, held a press conference yesterday in which he was anxious to prove that while Hungárián and Polish eitizens are nőt generally considered as political refugees, 90% of Transylvanians récéivé political asylum.-----------------------------------„ Subscribers can use or quote the Hungárián October newsletters in totál or in detail as long as the source is acknowledged.
