At the first meeting on November 6, 2014 in Villach, the present Board of Trustees members talked about their motivation to contribute to the European Tolerance Talks. The well-known writer Irmgard Bohunovsky meant with a view to the rulung “theocracies” in the Arabic region: “We worked hard for the secular state, for the equality of all people and equal rights for women. I argue for a strong state, law and compliance with the law.” The President of the “Europahaus Klagenfurt”, Nicholas Lanner, welcomed the initiative as a European commitment and promised his personal support. Board of Trustees member Sabine Hertlitschka, CEO of Infineon, supports the project because education and research are an important basis for more tolerance. For Martin Hitz, Vice Rector of the Alps Adriatic University, the increasing xenophobia is a reason to re-act. The President of the Austrian PEN Club, Helmuth A. Niederle, emphasized in his speech that the issue of freedom of expression, but also the commitment against totalitarian tendencies and violence are key concerns in the history of the world’s largest Writers’ Association. This is also what the initiatives “Writers in Prison” or “Time to Say No” stand for. The participants Irmgard Bohunovsky, writer, artist Roland Gruber, nonconform Martin Hitz, Vice Rector of the Alps Adria University Waltraud Hunter, ORF Carinthia Nicholas Lanner, President of Europahaus Peter Nageler, nonconform Helmut Niederle, Chairman PEN Club Sonja Penker, Culture Department Villach Manfred Sauer, Superintendent Carinthia Hilde Schaumberger, Evang. Diocesan Museum Albrecht Seyfried, Evang. Diocesan Museum Wilfried Seywald, Temmel, Seywald & Partners Hubert Stotter, Director Diakonia Carinthia Hannes Swoboda, President Board of Trustees Helli Telesklaf, Superintendial curator Mario Waste, Cultural Department State of Carinthia
