Solidarity Protests Abroad

The majority of  the Austrian activist trial for weeks 8 and 9 have been focused on questioning witnesses about legal anti fur demonstrations. The defense made an objection to the judge on the grounds that the demonstrations under discussion were legally registered (ie pre-registered with the police), not forbidden (by the police) and had no relevance to any crimes. The judge overruled the objection stating that those demonstrations were incriminated as part of a double strategy of legal protests and illegal activity.

Testimony from Firouz, media spokesperson for Kleider Bauer, was heard via remote and the judge showed photos to the court of a vandalized car. Police found fingerprints on the car, but they didn’t match any of the defendants on trial.

The judge then showed what Firouz referred to as “threatening” e-mails. All emails were from German animal organizations and signed by name. The e-mails were, without exception, all polite.

The defense then pointed out that the spokesperson’s business and private contact details could be found easily online and wanted to know whether she herself had put them online. Firuoz answered ‘yes’.

Fur shop assistants and managers were asked to describe the anti fur demonstrations in front of their stores and the behavior of the protesters taking part. Most witnesses thus far have reported that demonstrations had been peaceful on the whole. None of the witnesses testifying gave any evidence linking defendants to crimes.

A criminology lab’s chemical analysis on substances found at crime scenes and during the house raids were suppressed. The samples taken were a negative match, but this information does not appear in the prosecution files, neither was it given to the defendants or to their lawyers. This is just another instance of exonerating evidence being withheld – a violation of the laws that pertain to trial proceedings.

Another witness for the prosecution was a leading member of the special commission investigating the defendants. His testimony was characterized by the fact that he was unable to remember anything including whether or not he had been present at the arrests and house raids!

The Austrian press commented on the long drawn out nature of the trial, the distinct lack of evidence against the defendants, and reminded the public of the tax money funding this witch hunt.

Even the head of Amnesty International Austria criticized the trial in an online interview with one of the country’s leading newspapers