Memory in Oberwart: Exhibition illuminates attack on Roma 1995

Memory in Oberwart: Exhibition illuminates attack on Roma 1995

In the open house Oberwart, an revealing exhibition under the title "Bombs against Minorities" will be presented, which will open on February 11, 2025. This show is intended by the four Roma members, who were killed on February 5, 1995 in a racially motivated assassination attempt when they removed a poster with the inscription "Roma back to India". The attack marked a sad turning point in Austrian history, since it was the first time since 1945 that people were murdered due to their ethnicity. The exhibition is organized by the initiative minorities in cooperation with various cultural institutions and not only offers insights into the events, but also into the historical and social development of the time that was shaped by right rhetoric, as Initiative.Mindätkehr.

The opening speeches of the exhibition came, among others, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and Governor Hans Peter Doskozil. They emphasized the need to create a strong awareness of hatred and discrimination. The show shows historical media reports, documents and photographs that document the largest domestic wave of terrorism in the second republic. In addition, nine videos with contemporary witnesses and experts are presented that bring in different perspectives to the events. The exhibition can be seen until March 23, 2025 and takes place in the OHO-Oberwart, a central place for the victims and activists according to the assassination attempt, such as Kleinezeitung.at describes.

In addition, the Oho will present a cycle of works by the artist Wolfgang Horwath and the exhibition "Letters of Fear", which deals with the effects of the Roma attack. The combination of these exhibitions is intended to promote a comprehensive examination of the racist attacks of the 1990s and put the stories of those affected and contemporary witnesses in the foreground.