From Humanitarian Discourse to a Discourse of Exclusion

From Humanitarian Discourse to a Discourse of Exclusion Tracing the mediatization and politicization of the “refugee crisis” 2015/16 Em. Professor Dr Dr h. c. Ruth Wodak, FAc. SS Distinguished Professor of Discourse Studies

Borders – yesterday and today! ALOIS MOCK AT/HU 1989 ROSZKE HU 25/8/2015

THE POLITICAL CONTEXT – “DOMINO-EFFECT“ (@Kurz) AND “CHAIN REACTIONS OF REASON“ (@Mikl-Leitner) • • • • June 2015 Hungary announces plans to build a border fence at its Serbian border 26 th August, 71 refugees are found dead, locked into a truck near Parndorf, outside Vienna 3 rd September, Aylan found dead in Bodrum 5 th September, Germany and Austria open borders for refugees (Nikelsdorf) coming via Hungary 15 th September, Hungary completes border fence, borders effectively closed. 27 th September, Regional elections in Upper Austria 11 th October, Regional elections in Vienna 11 th November, federal government negotiates and agrees on “border management”. 31 st December, numerous reports of sexual assault and crime by “Arab- or African-looking men” are published. 20 th January, a government agreement is reached: The number of applications for asylum is set at 37. 500 per year 30 th January, border fence is completed in Spielfeld. 8 th March, Balkan Route is closed April 2016 – Debates about the closure of the Brenner May 2016 – Building a Border Fence between Austria and Hungary

“FENCE“ OR “NO FENCE“ “HUMAN RIGHTS“ OR “NO HUMAN RIGHTS“ “Of course it [the border management system] will include a fence. There is nothing bad about a fence. ” (Minister of Interior Affairs Mikl-Leitner, ÖVP) • “There is no room for fences in Europe. ” (Chancellor Faymann, SPÖ) -------------------------- • “We still see asylum as an individual right, but in reality we are confronted with an undirected mass migration. […] We have to manage with the resources we have. Anything that goes beyond that will overstrain the country. The consequence is to put a stop to that. ” (Vice-Chancellor Mitterlehner, ÖVP) • “One cannot reduce a fundamental human right to a specific number and then say, everyone beyond that number is out of luck. ” (President Fischer) •

Normalisation – “Driving on the Right” • Resemiotisation – from words to walls to words! • Legal Aspects – erosion of “democracy”? • Securitisation – serves as justification • Economisation – dehumanised refugees as commodities