[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 824-825]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



EXTREMISM, RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA SWEEPING AUSTRIA: HOUSE RESOLUTION 417

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, last week I called the attention of my 
colleagues to the rise of neofacism in Austria. The deed is now done. 
The extremist, racist, xenophobic FPO party has entered the Government 
of Austria. I want to thank all of my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle who have joined me in supporting this resolution expressing our 
regret and dismay.
  Joerg Haider, the leader of this party, had ample praise for Adolf 
Hitler and for SS veterans whom he described as ``decent people with 
character who stuck to their beliefs.''
  I want to commend the European Union, all 14 nations, which have 
chosen to downgrade their diplomatic relations with Austria. I want to 
commend our own State Department for recalling our Ambassador to 
Austria and for promising to watch developments carefully.
  At a time, Mr. Speaker, when the European Union, the United States, 
and other democratic nations are working actively to discourage ethnic 
hatred in the republics of the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere, Joerg 
Haider and his neofascist allies are appealing to racist sentiment and 
xenophobia. Haider learned this lesson early on. His father joined the 
Nazi Party in 1929. His mother was an active and enthusiastic Nazi 
Party member as a teacher. Haider has surely learned the lesson well.
  We recognize the right of the Austrian people to elect anybody they 
choose. However, we reserve the right to express our views when people 
elect Communist totalitarian regimes or Fascist totalitarian regimes.
  We are not there yet. This extremist xenophobic, far right-wing 
political party is only one of two parties of the Austrian coalition, 
and we will follow their activities with great care. They have made 
many commendable promises; but we will have to see how--in the 
unfolding of Austrian policy, domestic and international--these high-
sounding promises are implemented.
  The leaders of the European Union, all 14 nations, as well as other 
nations outside the European Union like Canada, Israel, and Norway, 
have expressed their deep concern about the new Government of Austria. 
One of the concerns that I shared in looking at this new far right-wing 
regime is the impact it is having in legitimatizing antidemocratic, 
racist forces in other countries of Europe.
  This is an awful way to begin the 21st century. Therefore, we need to 
engage

[[Page 825]]

in a voluntary ban against tourism to Austria, the purchase of Austrian 
products, the use of Austrian airlines, and investments in that 
country. People need to understand that elections have consequences; 
and when 27 percent of the Austrian electorate chooses to support an 
extremist who has made complimentary remarks about Adolf Hitler and who 
has repeatedly expressed the most obnoxious, racist and xenophobic 
sentiments, the American people and the people of other civilized 
countries must respond.
  We hope that this government will be better than the past record of 
Haider's party. There is always an opportunity for change, for 
reformation, for learning lessons. I call on all of my colleagues and I 
call on our administration to watch with the utmost care the actions of 
the new Austrian Government. It is important for us to realize that 
Adolf Hitler was voted into power, and the fact that people come to 
power through elections says nothing about their values. Democracy is 
not just elections; it is the sharing of a set of values of free and 
open societies.
  I call on all of my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this 
resolution so it can be the voice of the Congress in expressing our 
concern over political trends in Austria.

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