Robert Eiter

Robert Eiter on the occasion of the laying of stumbling blocks in Wels

Robert Eiter (* 1960 in Wels ) is an Austrian lawyer , journalist and co-founder of the Wels Initiative against Fascism ( Antifa ), which he headed from its foundation in 1984 to 2010.

Wels initiative against fascism

This independent initiative combats right-wing extremism , racism and anti-Semitism . The “brown spots” of Wels - three symbols related to the Nazi regime - were removed after a long and violent conflict in 1996/97. The same persistence led to the dissolution of the right-wing extremist Dichterstein Offenhausen association in 1998/99 .

At the instigation of Antifa, then run by Eiter, the city invited its displaced Jewish citizens, erected three memorials for Nazi victims and named several streets - for example after Anne Frank and Rosa Jochmann . Every year the Antifa organizes memorial rallies in Wels and Gunskirchen . Many well-known personalities have already spoken at these rallies, including the Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer , the actors Christiane Hörbiger , Dietmar Schönherr , Harald Krassnitzer and Erwin Steinhauer , the writers Michael Köhlmeier , Robert Schindel and Doron Rabinovici and the political scientist Anton Pelinka .

The Wels initiative does democratic educational work in schools: for example, around 6,000 young people saw the film “ Schindler's List ” in special Antifa screenings , and more than 5,000 have so far participated in eyewitness programs with concentration camp survivors.

In order to improve the situation of migrants in Wels, the initiative pushed through the establishment of the “Mosaik” integration office and played a key role in shaping the city's integration measures. In the humanitarian field, the Antifa helped the family of the victim who died in a neo-Nazi arson attack.

Further commitment

Eiter is also a co-founder and spokesman for the Upper Austrian Network against Racism and Right-Wing Extremism. This network has existed since 2001. In the meantime, 78 (as of 2016) political, religious, cultural and humanitarian organizations belong to it - from the Catholic Action to the union youth to the scout movement .

In addition, Eiter has been a member of the national board of the Mauthausen Committee Austria (MKÖ) since 2002 and a supporter of the idea of ​​setting up a House of Responsibility in the birthplace of Adolf Hitler in Braunau am Inn.

His main job is in the communications department of the Upper Austria Chamber of Labor .

Awards

In 2000, the Wels Initiative against Fascism, founded by Robert Eiter, received the solidarity award from the church newspaper of the Diocese of Linz. In 2009 Robert Eiter was awarded the Golden Humanity Medal of the City of Wels for his anti-fascist commitment.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Reports: Welser Antifa awarded the Elfriede Grünberg Prize - Werner Retzl replaced Robert Eiter as chairman ( memento from July 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Website of the Upper Austrian network against racism and right-wing extremism.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Who is afraid of the white man? Right-wing extremist subculture and fundamentalism in Austria. (PDF; 196 kB) In: jugendreferat.steiermark.at . Review of the conference on October 20, 2009, accessed on April 3, 2019.
3. ↑ Upper Austria Network Against Racism and Right-Wing Extremism Meeting 2016. In: landdermenschen.at . Retrieved January 22, 2020.
4. ^ Mauthausen Committee Austria. The board of directors. In: mkoe.at. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
5. ↑ List of supporters on HRB.at (House of Responsibility - Braunau am Inn), accessed on January 22, 2020.