Open letters from Austria

ELP Information Bulletin (19th July 2008)

Dear friends

ELP has been sent translations of four open letters, from three of the Austrian Animal Rights prisoners. Please feel free to reproduce these letters and publish them in magazines and on websites:

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Letter from Kevin Kroemmer (dated 4th July):

"Over 6 weeks have passed now since masked units with drawn guns have
stormed into my flat, searched everything, put the dog that was living
with me into an animal shelter and finally arrested me. Only bit by bit
i realized the extent of those massive reprisals and that 23 flats were
stormed and wrecked and 10 persons including good friends were arrested.
Those massive interferences with privacy and lives were made possible by
the dubious construction of a "criminal organisation"/§278a which we are
rumored to have built and to be member of, respectively.

Only shortly after my arrest i noticed protests for the first time. But
after i found out a few days later about how much solidarity was shown
coming from many countries, it gave me great strength in here. I was
very happy to see that such a criminalization of a social movement is
not just taken and that people from most different political
circumstances are getting active together and demonstrate solidarity.

The can is different than i had imagined and even if i miss freedom,
friends, "my" dog and many more, i'm alright according to the
circumstances. Spending 23 hours a day on few square meters, suddenly
having to live a boring life without any autonomy, incarcerated behind
metre high walls was something of a changeover i had to learn to adapt
to. This succeeded somewhat good and so the recent extension of
pre-trial detention couldn't really throw me off track.

In the meantime i got TV, radio and a CD-player in my cell. In addition
i was allowed to receive books for my schooling so i can also use my
time for learning. But food bundles, books, magazines and CDs are
restricted to be sent to me and can only be bought over the prison. At
present letters arrive at me with a delay of sometimes 1-2 weeks. I try
to answer to them promptly but letter contact is difficult with such
delays.

The supply with vegan food and vegan products has become acceptable in
the meantime. Like this for example it's possible for me to buy soymilk
and the like once per week.

I'd like to wholeheartedly thank everybody out there who organized
demos, presentations, solidarity-parties or took part in them, those who
printed shirts/patches and much else, sent letters and postcards, became
hosts for the affected animals, repaired apartment doors, cleaned up
apartments, payed rents and bills and much much more! Solidarity is more
than just a word, you showed that clearly! Many thanks for that! ...and
I will probably never forget how the can silence was disrupted for the
first time with the parole "Solidarity - you are not alone"!

Also many greetings from here to the others incarcerated and to all the
people out there who do not close their eyes and put themselves out
everyday once again for a different solidary world!

In a society where animals have no right to live and be unharmed at all,
where they are incarcerated in livestock farms, laboratories and
so-called furm-farms by the billions, murdered in the slaughterhouses,
their bodies dissected and made commodities... no, I won't be silent
about that and stop opposing it. Not even faced with massive repression,
never! For every single one of them!"

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Letter from Sabine (written end of June)

"Hello my dear ones,

On this way a sign of life from me and first off a giant big thank you
for your wonderful support. It's beautiful to know that many people
think about me and it gives me a lot of strength here.

Being isolated and locked away from my social circle, my friends and my
family, separated from my dogs that wait for me every day in vain is an
awful feeling. But I try to think positively at all times and it
comforts me immensely to know that my animals are alright. A special
thanks to the lovely people who take care of Amigo, Leia and the rats,
financially and emotionally looking after them and doing everything for
them to feel fine despite this difficult situation. Thanks for the many
encouraging letters, postcards and photos and I enjoy it everytime I
hear you demonstrating just outside the prison. You are great and I wish
you lots of strength and endurance further on.

Thinking about you, see you soon, SABINE"

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Letter fro Jan (written at the beginning of June):

"Despite the walls are high, thick and barbwired, the windows grilled
and the steel doors closed, i feel the solidarity and support from
outside in here!

Many thanks to all the people that care about us, take care of the
animals we live with, take care of kicked-in doors, plants and rents,
that we receive laundry, letters, visits and money, that we regularly
hear solidarity demos - and many thanks to everbody putting themselves
out for a domination-free and solidary society without violence!

I'm alright despite the adversities of monotony in the can, but I miss
freedom and especially a lot of beloved humans and animals! I get vegan
food, meanwhile (after weeks) even soymilk, spread and margarine. The
only possibility for movement is yard-exercise - 1 hour per day 50 steps
in a circle. Apart from that there are not many options left to occupy
oneself, reading for example, letters and TV. I have contact to
throughout sociable prisoners, at the moment I'm in a cell with 5
others, the contact is mainly solidary, conflict rarely happen.

At the moment I don't dare to make a political or legal estimate, since
I'm widely cut off from information and completely from the other
victims. The only sure thing is that prison has lost a lot of the horror
it inhered for me thanks to the broad solidarity and support from
outside but also through my experiences inside the walls.

I hope you are going well out there! For a domination-free society
without prison and cages!

JAN"


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Letter from Jan (written beginning of July):

"Meanwhile I've been imprisoned for over a month, at what as the only
"reason" for this my political engagement is brought up. The similarity
to the repression against the anti-G8-movement 2007 is obvious. All the
more I'm happy about thousands of people who are going to protest in
diverse ways against this year's coming G8 summit in Hokkaido. On this
way I'd like to send all of them solidary greetings, especially to those
who'll be or already are again victims of repression.

I'm very happy about the solidarity-actions taking place - especially
about the big anti-repression-demo on the 21st of june, including the
climbing action on Mariahilferstraße [big central street in Vienna,
translator], the more so as in this context state-racissm was thematized
(at the Marcus Omofuma memorial) and different forms of state repression
were addressed. I'm also happy about the _expression of solidarity during
the anti-ESCADA-protests in Muenster on the 4th of june.

I get mail from lots of people - even if the letters sadly often take
long (up to 4 weeks!!) until they finally reach me (it seems somebody is
reading them... tststs).

Very dear greetings to the Animal Rights Festival in Bremergarten (that
sent me a very cool photo as a postcard), and also to all supporters
that stick to their guns and do everything to get us out of there again.
Also a very big thank-you to the people taking care of our dogs and
rats. Furthermore greetings to the other imprisoned political activists
with whom unfortunately I may not have direct contact. I'm thinking
about you a lot - together we will manage this!

Until every cage and every prison is empty…

jan“

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To keep up to date with all the information on all ten Austrian prisoners check out http://www.vgt.at/index_en.php (this site is written in both German and English)

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Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
BM Box 2407
London
WC1N 3XX
England
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk