Diskussion:Chroniken: “Was bisher geschah”
Chronicles: "What has happened until now"
- In the original text, the word StudentInnen is used throughout, meaning students of both genders. -
1. Day, 10/22, Thursday
At 12pm about 400 students gather in front of the Votivkirche (votiv church) in the Sigmund Freud Park to begin the demonstration march towards the main building from there. The demonstration was called on by students unhappy with the current study conditions together with students of the Academy of Fine Arts. Contrary to various rumors neither the austrian student council (ÖH) nor a faction of the student parliament called on this rally. This demonstration was initiated and launched by politically independent students and energetically supported - both through planning and participation - by art students.
Crossing the final station tracks of the trolley/tram lines 43 and 44 the protest march moves towards the University ramp and from there through the main entrance of the Vienna University and into the Arkadenhof (Arcaden courtyard). In the courtyard there is a little intermediate stop with a short megaphone speech, and amid lots of applause and approval, the announcement to plan to move to the largest lecture hall, the Auditorium Maximum. Amid vociferous cries like "Whose uni? OUR UNI" the demonstrating students move through the hallways of the university, passing the university library, towards the Audimax (Auditorium Maximum). Numerous interested students join the procession through the main university.
At around 12:30pm the students reach the Audimax and flow as crowds into the lecture hall. At the time of the students reaching the hall a Biology lecture is in progress. Initiators of the rally hold a short speech about the background and purpose of the demonstration and read out several demands. Immediately afterwards a female art student speaker asks vocally whether they should occupy the Audimax, this is answered by laud applause and joyful bawling. A vote by raising one's hand therefore takes place, who would be in favor of or against the occupation. A two-thirds majority is in favor of the occupation. The Audimax is occupied henceforth. Among the present students there also were several of those Biology students which had been waiting for their special lecture, a physics tutorial. We hope for the solidarity of these students, politely ask for their understanding of our concerns and their pardon if our occupation has caused them unpleasantness. However, as a speaker articulated herself, 'these `stumbling blocks` - the occupation - are also part of university studies"!
The first posters and transparents are placed on the walls, and organizers and students spontaneously take the microphone on the stage, and make short speeches on the current general education policy, and their individual situation and critique about their fields of study. At this point of time the spirit in the Audimax is very enthusiastic! The speakers receive loud applause and chants like "Wir sind hier und wir sind laut, wir sind gegen Bildungsraub" (we are here and we are loud, we are against robbery of education), and "Bildung für alle - und zwar um sonst" (education for everyone - and free at that) resound through the Audimax.
These first hours in the occupied Audimax are characterized especially by spontaneousness. The initiators did not expect such great agreement and especially not so many occupants themselves. News about the Audimax occupation spreads fast and from all adjacent institute buildings and lecture halls students come in flocks. The fact that the demonstration - that has now turned into an occupation - has not been organized by a faction or political party quickly shows in the speakers on stage calling on the students to self-organize: "Talk among yourselves - form groups, organize yourselves"! This call is answered by spontaneous and self-organizing students. With the help of contributions in kind and monetary donations, food is provided for; mobilizing students leave for other lecture halls and university buildings, and thereby increase the influx to the occupation. This even led to a temporary occupation of the lecture hall ??? in the Neues Institutsgebäude (NIG, new institute building), before the majority of its students left for the Audimax. At around 7pm the art students return to their own occupation in the Academy of Fine Arts. From now on the students in the main university are on their own. However, the wave of protest has spilled in its fullest from art students to students from the University of Vienna. The students begin to gather in different working groups. In the meantime there are a few stray occupations of unfortunately unheated lecture halls like HS 30 and 33; these are later used as dormitory. The attempted eviction by security personnel of the university is prevented through peaceful sit-ins near the entrance area.
At around 2:30pm the private security contractor, instructed by the University of Vienna, attempts to block access to the Audimax in the main hall and to set up wooden fences. The students quickly react and peacefully prevent the blocade through passive resistance (sit-in strike and talks). At around 3pm about three dozen policeWomen, asked by the rectorate, enter the university premises and block both Audimax entrances through the hallway, and the one in the front on the right. The only remaining entrance - difficult to access due to the barriers - is the entry in the front on the left. The arrival of the police causes nervosness in many students, because it is unknown at this point in time how the police would proceed. Rumors go round about a possible eviction. The microphone in the Audimax is used to issue a call for ease, and it is attempted to calm the students through continuous information, and to de-eascalate the situation. The attempt to thin out the Audimax using the barrier by the police is not successful; through mouth-to-mouth propaganda the last open access is communicated to the students. Courageous students try to talk to the police and are able to persuade the police to block only so far, so that the toilets are accessible to the students in the Audimax. The situation swiftly unwinds itself, and volleyball is played over the heads of the policeWomen, and through chants the police is asked to enable access to the entries.
At around 5pm the police retreats under much applause. Official explanation is, according to standard.at, that the police is not certain about the further course of action. Rumor has it that policeWomen were, from the beginning, supposed to be withdrawn for Austria Wien's (Vienna soccer club) home match anyways.
After the retreat of the police the first official plenum takes place, at which principal, basic demands are formulated. The first plenum lasts several hours. In the meantime the Audimax is bulging and the mood is very euphoric; chants are heard over and over. After the strenuous first half-day of the Audimax occupation the students truly earned a short break. And how does the saying go: 'A revolution without dancing is a revolution that doesn't pay off'. In the Audimax and the hallway in front DJs spin some discs and a punk bank named ???? relocated their concert there especially on the occasion of the Audimax occupation.