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A far right party with Nazi roots is on the brink of power in Austria
A far right party with Nazi roots is on the brink of power in Austria
Elections will be held on Sunday. Its leader, Herbert Kickl, has been branded as “Volkskanzler” or “People’s Chancellor,” by his party, a term the Nazis used to describe Hitler.
Herbert Kickl campaigns ahead of European parliamentary elections in June.Christian Bruna / Getty Images file
Sept. 28, 2024, 10:12 AM EDT
By Alexander Smith and Carlo Angerer
Politics in a central European country of just 10 million people might not seem consequential. But that’s not the case in Austria, where there’s a good chance its election Sunday will be won by a far-right, pro-Russia party that was founded by former Nazis. ... A win for the Freedom Party, or FPÖ, would not just have historical connotations — Austria was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler — it could tilt the balance of power between Russia and the West.
Though small, Austria has for centuries enjoyed outsized influence as a crossroads at the heart of Europe. Its neutral status, neither officially allied with NATO nor Russia, means that for centuries it has served as an arena for politicians, diplomats and spies trying to tilt the geopolitical balance.
So it’s not just that the FPÖ is criticized by opponents as xenophobic and racist, some Western onlookers are also alarmed by its staunch opposition to supporting Ukraine against Moscow. Though Austria is a member of the European Union, its far-right party leading the polls has strong links with Russian President Vladimir Putin — the bloc’s arch nemesis.
The FPO is seeking to form “an axis of far right-wing actors in the European Union,” according to Peter Filzmaier, a professor at Austria’s Kerms and Gratz universities, and one of the country’s top political commentators. Even if the party fails to form a coalition government — all other major groups have refused to work with them — this would be a “symbolic” victory for the movement, he said. ... The FPÖ is led by Herbert Kickl, 55, a wiry, acerbic provocateur in designer glasses.
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Elections will be held on Sunday. Its leader, Herbert Kickl, has been branded as “Volkskanzler” or “People’s Chancellor,” by his party, a term the Nazis used to describe Hitler.
Herbert Kickl campaigns ahead of European parliamentary elections in June.Christian Bruna / Getty Images file
Sept. 28, 2024, 10:12 AM EDT
By Alexander Smith and Carlo Angerer
Politics in a central European country of just 10 million people might not seem consequential. But that’s not the case in Austria, where there’s a good chance its election Sunday will be won by a far-right, pro-Russia party that was founded by former Nazis. ... A win for the Freedom Party, or FPÖ, would not just have historical connotations — Austria was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler — it could tilt the balance of power between Russia and the West.
Though small, Austria has for centuries enjoyed outsized influence as a crossroads at the heart of Europe. Its neutral status, neither officially allied with NATO nor Russia, means that for centuries it has served as an arena for politicians, diplomats and spies trying to tilt the geopolitical balance.
So it’s not just that the FPÖ is criticized by opponents as xenophobic and racist, some Western onlookers are also alarmed by its staunch opposition to supporting Ukraine against Moscow. Though Austria is a member of the European Union, its far-right party leading the polls has strong links with Russian President Vladimir Putin — the bloc’s arch nemesis.
The FPO is seeking to form “an axis of far right-wing actors in the European Union,” according to Peter Filzmaier, a professor at Austria’s Kerms and Gratz universities, and one of the country’s top political commentators. Even if the party fails to form a coalition government — all other major groups have refused to work with them — this would be a “symbolic” victory for the movement, he said. ... The FPÖ is led by Herbert Kickl, 55, a wiry, acerbic provocateur in designer glasses.
{snip}
Inside the world of Martin Sellner, millennial influencer of Europe’s far right
The Post spent time with Sellner to understand his secretive movement and how his rhetoric found its way into the Trump campaign and Austria’s election on Sunday.
{snip}
The Post spent time with Sellner to understand his secretive movement and how his rhetoric found its way into the Trump campaign and Austria’s election on Sunday.
{snip}
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Hat tip, Joe.My.God.
Austria goes back to the future as voters embrace far-right party founded by Nazis
Euroskeptic Freedom Party storms to victory on promise to erect “Fortress Austria.”
A vandalized election campaign billboards showing Herbet Kickl of the far-right Austria Freedom Party. | Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images
SEPTEMBER 29, 2024 5:16 PM CET
BY MATTHEW KARNITSCHNIG
GRAZ, Austria — Austria veered to the right in a watershed election on Sunday as the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) stormed to victory, marking the first time since World War II that a party rooted in Nazi ideology prevailed in a national ballot.
The anti-migrant, Russia-friendly FPÖ won more than 29 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results, putting it about three points ahead of the center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), which currently leads the government. The ÖVP suffered a record loss to finish with 26 percent.
“The results today couldn’t have been clearer,” Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ’s leader and chief ideologue, told Austrian public television, insisting that his party should lead the next government.
{snip}
Euroskeptic Freedom Party storms to victory on promise to erect “Fortress Austria.”
A vandalized election campaign billboards showing Herbet Kickl of the far-right Austria Freedom Party. | Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images
SEPTEMBER 29, 2024 5:16 PM CET
BY MATTHEW KARNITSCHNIG
GRAZ, Austria — Austria veered to the right in a watershed election on Sunday as the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) stormed to victory, marking the first time since World War II that a party rooted in Nazi ideology prevailed in a national ballot.
The anti-migrant, Russia-friendly FPÖ won more than 29 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results, putting it about three points ahead of the center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), which currently leads the government. The ÖVP suffered a record loss to finish with 26 percent.
“The results today couldn’t have been clearer,” Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ’s leader and chief ideologue, told Austrian public television, insisting that his party should lead the next government.
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