Free movement and residency rights for everyone!

Who can study at Austrian universities? To whom are being "creative", "academically supported", and "mobile" granted? How much "international exchange" is there at the universities in reality?

The Austrian "Alien Law Package for Foreigners" that was accepted on January 1st, 2006, illegalizes people who do not possess an EU/EEA-member passport or it drastically confines their (residency) rights. For people entering Austria through the so-called "Drittstaatsländer", it is hard to get a visa. For artists and scientists without an EU-passport, the "Settlement and Residency" law allows only temporary residence.

Only those who can prove "special achievement" (which is not defined) are excepted within these restrictive regulations. This involves not only tremendous exposure throughout the restrictive application procedure, but they are constantly exposed to the "everyday racism," which structures the life of non-Austrian citizens. This means that they are constantly exposed to disqualification, and are in many cases exposed to extreme, sometimes lethal, (police) violence.

At the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, several students were, or are, affected by the so-called "Alien Law Package".

Therefore, we speak out loudly against:

The racist legal "Alien Law Package" (Fremdenrechtspaket)!

Regulations and restrictions for so-called "third state members"

(Drittstaatsangehörige)!

And we firmly deman:

• Asylum rights
• Residency rights - not only, but also, for artists and scientists!
• Residency rights for the (married) partners of Austrian citizens!
• Rights to stay and reside in Austria - for everyone!
• Rights for everyone to freely decide where to live!

Participants:
Lisa Bolyos/Annegang, Manuela Bojadžijev/Serhat Karakayalı, Annalisa Cannito, Emanuel Danesch, Petja Dimitrova, Lina Dokuzović, Marina Gržinić/Aina Šmid, Driton Hajredini, Muzaffer Hasaltay, Ana Hoffner, Christoph Kolar, Lisbeth Kovačič, Daniela Koweindl/Petja Dimitrova/Eva Votava, Maria Krisper, Lisa Lnenicka, Mara,Sinan Mollahasanov, Patrick Schabus, Ronja Vogl, Tilman Otto Wagner, Katarina Zdjelar

Participants of the Workshop "Schengen (z)erstellen"

Participants of the project "No! Against racism, exploitation and colonization!" (Pavelhaus, Juni-September 2008):
Araba Evelyn Johnston-Arthur/Belinda Kazeem and The Black Research Group on Austrian Presence and History, Oliver Ressler, Kanak Attack, Petra Gerschner, Rana Bishara, Siniša Ilić, Staš Kleindienst/Sebastjan Leban, roomservices.org, Evren Uzer/Otto von Busch

Participants of the project "comments on racism" (KKP der Universität für angewandte Kunst in Kooperation mit Martin Krenn):
Lukas Karl Richard Frankenberger, Jasmina Hirschl, Eva-Maria Lausegger/Petra Mallek, Elisabeth Panholzer, Georg Philipp Leopold Sturmlechner/Robert Zimmermann, Daniela Tagger, Stéphanie Ternes