Re: Haider and Big Business

["ÁÎ×Ó¹â HenryC.K.Liu ¹ù¤l¥ú" <hliu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

If you are home by 10, I can wait.

Owen Jones wrote:

>  A report from the Guardian yesterday. On a more humorous note, the Guardian
> yesterday reported that if you visit the site at http://www.fpo.at/ and
> click on "English pages" at the bottom, you will get merely this sentence on
> the page: "For our non german speaking guests we have a message in Engish:
> Learn German or fuck off!" In actual fact, this is a fake web site imitating
> the real one at http://www.fpoe.at/ , but it's humorous enough. I'm just
> glad that nobody is going to support Haider for being an anti-imperialist
> (only joking, don't take that seriously!)
>
>  Cheers - Owen
>
> ----
> Haider race to power was helped by Reebok
>
> The Austrian far right in power: special report
>
> John Hooper in Berlin and Jan Fossgard
> Thursday February 10, 2000
> The Guardian
>
> The Austrian far-right leader, Jörg Haider, was helped at a critical stage
> in his party's rise to power by the Austrian subsidiary of the sports and
> leisurewear giant Reebok.
>
> The firm yesterday acknowledged that Reebok Austria had "provided support
> for the production of The Jörg Haider Video" six years ago. It said the help
> had
> been given without the knowledge of the group's parent company, which had
> secured the resignation of Reebok Austria's general manager after learning
> of
> its subsidiary's involvement in the project.
>
> Mr Haider's athletic prowess is a key ingredient in the daredevil, macho
> image he has projected so successfully to the Austrian public. In November
> he
> claimed to have completed the New York marathon in less than four hours,
> though the race official Alan Steinfeld said "we have no record of him
> running".
>
> Mr Haider has been at the centre of an international furore over his Freedom
> party's entry into government as an equal partner in coalition with the
> mainstream conservatives. The inclusion of ministers from Mr Haider's
> movement triggered an unprecedented decision by other European Union states
> to
> cut bilateral links with Austria.
>
> Reebok Austria's involvement in promoting him was sharply at odds with the
> group's image as a firm dedicated to the cause of racial integration. It
> claims to
> have been the first company in its field to have left South Africa in
> protest against apartheid, in 1986.
>
> The US sportswear giant has given money to a number of liberal causes, and
> funds a human rights foundation and human rights awards. Reebok's literature
> proclaims: "Human rights are at the centre of our corporate culture."
>
> In the year the video was made, Mr Haider demanded tough measures to rid
> Austria of illegal immigrants. They included systematic identity checks,
> more
> detention centres and special deportation flights.
>
> He had been emboldened by two stunning electoral victories. In March he
> swept back to power as governor of the southern province of Carinthia - a
> post he
> had left three years earlier after an outcry over his praise of Adolf
> Hitler's employment policies. In October, at a general election, his party's
> share of the
> vote soared to 23%, netting it 42 of the 183 seats in parliament.
>
> A statement from Reebok International said: "In 1994, Reebok Austria
> provided support for the production of The Jörg Haider Video without the
> knowledge
> of Reebok International. Upon learning of the video, Reebok International
> conducted a formal investigation into the matter and then promptly asked for
> the
> resignation of the general manager of Reebok Austria. He then left the
> company."
>
> A spokeswoman for Reebok International was unable to say how much Reebok's
> support had been worth. In 1999 Reebok sold goods worth $3bn and made
> profits of $50m. Its brands include Rockports, Ralph Lauren footwear and the
> Greg Norman collection of golfing apparel.