Report from the youth organization Red*REVOLUTION, 25.11.2013, http://www.redrevolution.at/

Austrian school students are facing a new attack on their education rights. The government has introduced a massive tightening of the final exams in all higher schools. It basically means that much more students will fail the final exams. In many classes 2/3 or 4/5 didn’t pass the homeworks in recent weeks.

This has caused a massive and wide-spread outrage amongst school students. The youth organization Red*REVOLUTION, affiliated with the RKOB (Austrian section of the RCIT) has been active in the last week and helped to organize a number of school student committees in various schools. Red*REVOLUTION also organized a conference of activists on 24.11. where a resolution was unanimously adopted.

In this resolution activists rejected the attack on education tights and called for a broad school student strike in the next weeks. They also expressed their solidarity with the protests of teachers against the government attacks on their rights. Finally the resolution called for joined resistance of workers and youth against the looming new austerity package which is currently discussed between the social democratic and conservative party as part of their negotiations to renew their coalition government after the recent national elections.

As a first action of our resistance we organized a media action in front of one of the schools where school students have formed a committee. More than 60 school students left the school – despite massive pressure of reactionary teachers – to hold a small rally in front of the school. Marc, a leader of the Red*REVOLUTION, addressed the crowd as did Katharina, one of the school students activists. Several representatives of the media were present and the rally was widely reported in the national media (see links below).

Red*REVOLUTION will continue the resistance together with the school student committees and work to organize a city-wide school student strike!

Reports, Videos and Photos:

ATV (the biggest private TV channel in Austria) reported in its news on 25.11.2013. It can be viewed at: http://atv.at/contentset/3178347-atv-aktuell (at minute 3.08).

In addition, the radio stations Ö3 and KRONEHIT reported in its news as well as the daily paper Kurier. (see Ute Brühl: „Schüler verhandeln mit dem bifie Verantwortliche wollen „Missverständnisse“ bei Notengebung ausräumen“, 25.11.2013, http://kurier.at/politik/inland/schueler-verhandeln-mit-dem-bifie/37.577.976and„Schülerprotest heute in Wien“, 25.11.2013, https://www.kronehit.at/news/zentralmatura-sorgt-fuer-aerger/)

Videos from the rally can be viewed at the YouTube Channel of the RKOB:

Speech from Marc: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz2YvreAnvY&feature=youtu.be

Speech from Katharina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=628dVAzSmIs&feature=youtu.be

Photos: http://www.redrevolution.at/inland-1/medienaktion-marchettigasse-25-11-2013/

For a more extensive report in German language go to the website of Red*REVOLUTION at: http://www.redrevolution.at/inland/

Report from the youth organization Red*REVOLUTION, 5.12.2013, http://www.redrevolution.at/

As we already reported, the youth organization Red*REVOLUTION, affiliated with the RKOB (Austrian section of the RCIT), has been active in the last weeks in order to organize a school student strike against cuts in education. (1) We are mobilizing school students to resist against a massive tightening of the final exams in all higher schools.

Red*REVOLUTION is calling together with a number of action committees in various schools for a school student strike on 6^th December.

The education department of the regional government in Vienna has reacted with threats against the school students. It sent out a letter to all school administrators in which it emphasized that the school students have no right to hold a strike and will face penalization. After wide-spread outrage it has to backpedal now.

Yesterday we hold a press conference with 10 activists from several schools. Marc Hangler, spokesperson of Red*REVOLUTION, and a number of school student representatives, explained to the media the reasons for the strike and their determination to hold on their plans despite the government’s repression.

Our press conference was well attended by representatives of the media. News on it and the strike as well as interviews with Marc Hangler are now spreading in the TV, Radio and daily papers. (See links to TV and daily paper reports below.)

You can find more reports and articles in German language on our website.

Reports, Videos and Photos:

ORF (the public broadcast service in Austria like the BBC in Britain) brought a report in its news on 4.12.2013. It can be viewed at:  (http://tvthek.orf.at/program/Wien-heute/70018/Wien-heute/7201322/Warum-duerfen-SchuelerInnen-nicht-streiken/7203481). Bear in mind that the link will only work for a few days.

Puls 4 (a private TV channel) reported brought a report in its news on 4.12.2013. It can be viewed at: (http://www.puls4.com/video/guten-abend-oesterreich/play/2284137). Bear in mind that the link will only work for a few days.

In addition, there have been reports on Red*REVOLUTION and the school student strike:

ORF: Schülerstreiks: Präsidentin gibt Tipps gegen Verbot, 2013-12-04, http://wien.orf.at/news/stories/2618612/

DER STANDARD (one of the big national daily papers): Rote Revolutionäre machen mobil gegen "diese" Zentralmatura, 2.12.2013, http://derstandard.at/1385169611896/Rote-Revolutionaere-machen-mobil-gegen-diese-Zentralmatura

ÖSTERREICH (one of two biggest national daily papers): Tausende bei Demo gegen neue Matura, 5.12.2013 (this link will only work today), http://file.oe24.at/epaper/#3/z

Videos and photos from the press conference on 4.12.2013 can be viewed at the YouTube Channel of the RKOB soon

Footnotes

(1) Austria: School Students protest against attack on education rights! Report from the youth organization Red*REVOLUTION, 25.11.2013, http://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/austrian-school-students-protest/

Report with pictures and videos from the Red*REVOLUTION (Youth Organization affiliated with the Austrian Section of the RCIT), 6.12.2013, http://www.redrevolution.at/

Between 700-800 Viennese school students braved rain, snow and stormy wind as well as repression by the school administration and joined a demonstration organized by Red*REVOLUTION (Youth Organization affiliated with the Austrian Section of the RCIT). This successful demonstration is remarkable not only because of the awful weather conditions and the repression but also because the official school student “trade union” – dominated by the conservative party and the social democratic party – called the school students not to join our strike. (The centrists ignored it too but this had no relevance for the demonstration given their isolation from the youth).

The demonstration was the high point of a school student strike which we called for that day. We chanted militant slogans against cuts in education, against social cuts and against the government as well as for joint struggle of workers and school students. The banners of Red*REVOLUTION made clear why we are on the streets: “Zentralmatura (the name of the new attack on education, Ed.) is unjust – SCHOOLSTRIKE against education cuts!”, “STRIKE!” and “Cuts in Education, Unemployment, Racism – CAPITALISM DESTROYS OUR FUTURE!” (See links to pictures and videos below)

After the demonstration Red*REVOLUTION hold a successful meeting in our centre with 50 activists to discuss the next steps in our struggle against the cuts in education. Tomorrow we will have another meeting.

Marc Hangler, spokesperson of Red*REVOLUTION, also gave a number of interview to radio and TV stations in which explained our viewpoints.

The central task now is to build more committees of action to organize the militant school students in order to advance the struggle against the government plans. They are equally important to bring together young revolutionary activists. Furthermore they can also create the conditions to link the youth struggle with the struggle against the coming austerity package which is currently discussed in the negotiations for the new government.

Various media reported about the demonstration albeit the tried to play down it size. (See links below)

You can find more reports and articles in German language on our website.

Reports, Videos and Photos:

W24 (a private TV channel) invited Marc Hangler for a live interview on 6.12.2013. You can view the interview at the following link (go to minute 14.00): http://www.w24.at/Guten-Abend-Wien/795375

The school student strike organized by Red*REVOLUTION has been mentioned by most daily papers as well as the central state broadcasting ORF:

HEUTE: "Red Revolution" plant Schülerstreik zu Nikolaus, 5.12.2013, http://www.heute.at/news/politik/art23660,963076

ORF: Zentralmatura: 150 Teilnehmer bei Demo, 2013-12-06, http://wien.orf.at/news/stories/2618881/

ÖSTERREICH: 150 Schüler demonstrieren gegen Zentralmatura. "Eins, zwei, drei, vier, die Zentralmatura stoppen wir" hieß es am Stephansplatz, 06. Dezember 2013 http://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/chronik/150-Schueler-demonstrieren-gegen-Zentralmatura/124026571

DER STANDARD: Zentralmatura: Rote Revolutionäre streikten fast alleine, 6. Dezember 2013, http://derstandard.at/1385170097727/Zentralmatura-Rote-Revolutionaere-streikten-fast-alleine

APA: Zentralmatura: Rote Revolutionäre streikten fast alleine, 06.12.2013, http://science.apa.at/rubrik/bildung/Zentralmatura_Rote_Revolutionaere_streikten_fast_alleine/SCI_20131206_SCI815935468

NEWS: Zentralmatura: Schüler wollen über Streik entscheiden. Sozialistische Splittergruppe plant schon am Nikolotag Protest am Stephansplatz, 5.12.2013, http://www.news.at/a/zentralmatura-schueler-streik-moeglich

WIENER ZEITUNG: Lehrerdienstrecht. Lehrer bringen Rute mit, 5.12.2013, http://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/oesterreich/politik/592084_Lehrer-bringen-Rute-mit.html

Videos and photos from the school strike demonstration can be viewed at the Red*REVOLUION website:

http://www.redrevolution.at/inland/fotos-und-video-6-12/

We plan to publish more videos in the next days.

For a more reports in German language go to the website of Red*REVOLUTION at: http://www.redrevolution.at

Report from Red*REVOLUTION (Youth Organization affiliated with the Austrian Section of the RCIT), 10.12.2013, http://www.redrevolution.at/

The struggle against cuts in education continues after the successful first school student strike on December 6 in Vienna which was organized by Red*REVOLUTION (Youth Organization affiliated with the Austrian Section of the RCIT). (1)

On Monday, December 9, the official leadership of the school students announced that is has reached a compromise with the government. This however turned out to be a complete capitulation. In reality nothing has changed for the school students. As a result Red*REVOLUTION decided – after consultations with school student committees in many schools – to call for a second school student strike on December 12 in order to continue the struggle against the education cuts.

The pressure from the school students and our organized and dynamic campaign, which we have conducted successfully in the past weeks, have pushed the left reformists and centrists to jump the bandwagon. The school student organization of the social democratic party in Vienna as well as several centrist groups have now agreed to join our second school student strike.

The campaign has led to a massive increase in political interest amongst the vanguard of the school students and many ask to join Red*REVOLUTION. In parallel, school student committees are built in a growing number of schools. Without doubt, this struggle is an excellent political school for many youth – much more fruitful than the bourgeois education system!

You can find more reports and articles in German language on our website.

Footnotes

(1) See our reports in English language: Austria: School Students protest against attack on education rights! 25.11.2013, http://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/austrian-school-students-protest/; Austria: School Students go on strike for their education rights! 5.12.2013, http://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/austria-school-student-strike/; Austria: Successful School Student Strike on 6.December 2013! 6.12.2013, http://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/austria-successful-school-student-strike/; For more reports in German language go to the website of Red*REVOLUTION at: http://www.redrevolution.at

Report from Red*REVOLUTION (Youth Organization affiliated with the Austrian Section of the RCIT), 12.12.2013, http://www.redrevolution.at/

At least 5.000 school students marched today through the inner city of Vienna in protest against attacks on education rights. In addition smaller demonstrations of school students in other Austrian cities took place. The school student strike was called by Red*REVOLUTION (the youth organization affiliated with the Austrian Section of the RCIT). It was a protest march not only against the plans of the Austrian government to increase the pressure on school students for their final exams. It was also a protest march against the capitulation of the official leadership of the school student “trade union” which accepted these attacks.

As we already reported, Red*REVOLUTION has initiated these protests. We organized a first school student strike in Vienna on 6.12. (1) When the official school students leadership capitulated in secret negotiations with the government and called off a planed strike on 12.12., Red*REVOLUTION immediately started to mobilize for a strike on that day. This received a huge response amongst the school students and caused other organizations – including the school student organization of the social democratic party – to join the strike. The social democratic student group has opposed our strike campaign from the beginning and instead supported the tactic of negotiations and delays of protests. This was no surprise since the minister of education who is responsible for the attacks is from the social democratic party in the coalition government.

Red*REVOLUTION mobilized in many schools for the strike. At the demonstration we organized a huge and militant contingent as can be seen in photos and videos on our website. (See the links below)

As a revolutionary organization we combined the protest against the attacks on education with anti-racist slogans as well as slogans in solidarity with the Palestinian liberation struggle. This also reflects the composition of our contingent as well as of the Red*REVOLUTION membership which is working class with a high share of migrant youth. A number of the school students in our contingent – many of them not members of our organization – knew us already from the demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine in November 2012 and against the military coup in Egypt in the last few months.

It should be mentioned that the social democratic school student group and the centrists (CWI, IMT, Workers Power/LFI) formed an unholy alliance against Red*REVOLUTION. They used their financial resources (the social democratic youth group receives regularly huge sums from their mother party) to organize and to monopolize the loud speaker bus and to stop us leading the demonstration. This created some chaos and disorganization in that part of the demonstration which they dominated with their technical means. However despite their united efforts to weaken the dominance of Red*REVOLUTION at the demonstration, they could not avoid making it visible to all school students that our organized contingent was many times bigger than theirs. The difference between our contingent and theirs existed not only in size but also in discipline. While we had a well organized and highly disciplined contingent with many stewards (see pictures of our contingent), their contingent was completely chaotic. As a result a number of dangerous actions (throwing bottles etc.) took place in their area which injured several school students. They could not suppress this since they didn’t have a considerable steward team.

The demonstration proved again that Red*REVOLUTION has grown massively in the past weeks and has become a significant force amongst the vanguard of the school students. The struggle continues!

Footnotes

(1) See our reports in English language: Austria: School Students protest against attack on education rights! 25.11.2013, http://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/austrian-school-students-protest/; Austria: School Students go on strike for their education rights! 5.12.2013, http://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/austria-school-student-strike/; Austria: Successful School Student Strike on 6.December 2013! 6.12.2013, http://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/austria-successful-school-student-strike/; Austria: Red*REVOLUTION calls for a second School Student Strike on December 12! 10.12.2013, http://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/europe/austria-2-school-student-strike-on-12-12/

For more reports in German language go to the website of Red*REVOLUTION at: http://www.redrevolution.at

Links to pictures and videos on the Red*REVOLUTION website:

http://www.redrevolution.at/inland-1/fotos-und-videos-12-12/

We plan to upload more photos and videos in the coming days. Watch out!

Link to Television Interview with Marc Hangler (Spokesperson of Red*REVOLUTION) in W24 (private TV Channel): http://www.w24.at/Guten-Abend-Wien/795645 (Minute 03:20)

Some links to reports in bourgeois media:

ÖSTERREICH: Mega-Demo: 4.000 Schüler legen Wien lahm, http://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/politik/Mega-Demo-4-000-Schueler-legen-Wien-lahm/124630932

Die PRESSE: http://diepresse.com/home/bildung/1503575/Demonstration_Wie-sollen-wir-die-Matura-schaffen?gal=1503575&index=7&direct=&_vl_backlink=/home/index.do&popup=

DER STANDARD: http://derstandard.at/1385170820609/Zentralmatura-Tausende-Schueler-gingen-gegen-Reform-auf-die-Strasse

Kronen Zeitung: Schüler- Demos gegen Zentralmatura in 6 Städten, http://www.krone.at/Oesterreich/Schueler-Demos_gegen_Zentralmatura_in_6_Staedten-Nein_danke!-Story-386160

Kurier: Tausende Schüler demonstrieren gegen Zentralmatura, http://kurier.at/politik/inland/tausende-schueler-demonstrieren-gegen-zentralmatura/40.502.629