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Tens of thousands protest against Austria’s far-right

Austria's FPOe party is doing well in the polls, leaving many concerned about the rise of the far-right during the parliamentary election set to take place in Autumn this year.

Published: 27 January 2024 11:29 CET
With parliamentary elections coming up in Austria this year, many took to the streets on Friday to protest the rise of the far-right.
With parliamentary elections coming up in Austria this year, many took to the streets on Friday to protest the rise of the far-right. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Austria on Friday to protest against right-wing extremism and racism, inspired by similar rallies in neighbouring Germany.

In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands have joined the German protests against the far-right AfD party, after its members were revealed to have discussed a mass deportation plan at a meeting with extremists.

Among the participants was Martin Sellner, a leader of Austria’s Identitarian Movement, which subscribes to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory that alleges a plot to replace Europe’s “native” white population with non-white migrants.

In the capital Vienna, about 35,000 demonstrators braved rain to gather near the parliament building on Friday evening, police said. Organisers estimated the turnout at around 80,000 people.

“We are here to defend democracy and stand up against the extremist movements that are growing in Europe,” one participant, Elena Tiefenboeck, told AFP.

“So that the past doesn’t repeat itself” at a time when the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) is expected to win this year’s parliamentary elections, the 25-year-old student said.

A win by the FPOe would be a “very worrying” prospect that could further “polarise society”, said 53-year-old psychotherapist Barbara Brauboeck.

One banner read “Kickl is a Nazi” in reference to the FPOe’s hardline leader Herbert Kickl, known for his fiercely anti-migrant campaigns.

“Some of us have already packed their bags or are thinking about which country to flee to,” said local politician and activist Mireille Ngosso, according to public broadcaster ORF.

Similar rallies took place in Innsbruck, where police said around 3,000 people participated, and in Salzburg, where turnout was estimated at roughly 1,400 people.

The rallies were called by the Fridays for Future environmental group along with two other activist groups, Black Voices and the Platform for a Humane Asylum Policy.

Riding high in polls

The wave of mobilisation against far-right parties was sparked by a January 10 report from the investigative outlet Correctiv, which revealed that AfD members had discussed the expulsion of immigrants and “non-assimilated citizens” at a meeting.

The AfD confirmed its presence at the meeting with extremists, but denied taking on the “remigration” project championed by Sellner.

The party is second in German opinion polls, and leading them in several eastern regions where elections are set to be held later this year.

More than 200 demonstrations are planned across Germany over the weekend, most of them in midsize towns, including in the east of the country, where the AfD has obtained its best electoral results.

Unlike its neighbour, Austria has had a strong far-right political presence since the 1980s.

In 2000, the FPOe under Joerg Haider entered into a coalition government, a first in the European Union, triggering protests of 250,000 people.

The party governed again between 2017 and 2019, in coalition with the conservatives.

Currently the conservative People’s Party (OeVP) governs in a coalition with the Greens, but their approval ratings have plummeted ahead of general elections this year, though their exact date has not yet been announced.

But the FPOe is currently leading opinion polls, buoyed by discontent over inflation, migration and the war in Ukraine.

It is already part of coalitions that govern several Austrian provinces.

Earlier this month, Austria’s interior ministry warned of a “noticeable influx” in the country’s extreme right scene.

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POLITICS

‘Laughing stock of Europe’: What’s the new crisis to hit Austria’s coalition government?

Austria's environment minister went against the government's will and voted in favour of controversial EU legislation. Chancellor Nehammer now accuses the minister of 'abuse of office'.

Published: 17 June 2024 13:50 CEST
'Laughing stock of Europe': What's the new crisis to hit Austria's coalition government?

It’s the latest crisis between centre-right ÖVP and its junior Green coalition partners. This one will make its way up to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), according to statements given by Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) on Monday (17).

This is due to the fact that Austria’s Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler broke with coalition partners to help pass a controversial EU-level law. “I know I will face opposition in Austria on this, but I am convinced that this is the time to adopt this law,” Gewessler told reporters.

The Federal Chancellery promptly responded to Gewessler’s unilateral action: “Austria will bring an action for annulment before the ECJ,” it said. Her vote was “not in line with the domestic will and therefore could not be cast in accordance with the constitution”, the Chancellor’s office said.

READ ALSO: Europe warned it must do more to deal with climate crisis

Gewessler will be charged with suspected abuse of office, ÖVP Secretary General Christian Stocker announced in a press release.

“There is a suspicion that Leonore Gewessler is acting unlawfully and knowingly against the clear guidelines of the Constitutional Service and against the constitution with her approval of the ordinance – this constitutes abuse of office,” Stocker said.

What was voted?

At the core of the discussion is a controversial EU law known as the “EU nature restoration law”. The legislation mandates the restoration of at least 20 percent of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 to restore all ecosystems in need by 2050. This landmark bill aims to address the decline of Europe’s natural habitats, a significant portion of which are currently assessed as being in poor condition.

The legislation includes specific targets for various ecosystems, including peatlands, forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coral beds. Member states are required to improve at least 30 percent of these habitats by 2030, with this target increasing to 60 percent by 2040 and 90 percent by 2050.

The conservative ÖVP party has been against the regulations, consistently reasserting Austria’s abstention vote for two years now since the EU Commission presented the package that included the “nature restoration law.” 

But now, Gewessler’s rogue vote was crucial for the legislation to pass. Austria’s vote, which was a mystery until the very end, was decisive.

Although a clear majority of states voted in favour anyway, the necessary quorum of 65 percent of EU residents was only achieved because of Austria. In the end, 66.07 percent of the EU population voted in favour of the law.

Can Gewessler vote against the Chancellery decision?

That’s complicated, and the courts will decide. 

The Chancellor argues that Austria had already been notified to abstain, a position based on “a uniform opinion of the Regional Governments (Bundesländer), binding for the Federal Government under Austrian constitutional law, as well as the lacking consensus within the Austrian Federal Government ”. 

He means that Austrian states have also agreed not to back the proposal. However, in May, two states, Vienna and Carinthia, pulled out of this vote, as Der Standard reported. This makes it unclear, even among constitutional lawyers, whether there is still a “uniform opinion” and whether Gewessler would be bound by it, the report added.

READ ALSO: Why Vienna is a haven for wild animals – and where you can find them

Criticism from SPÖ and far-right

The SPÖ and FPÖ criticised Gewessler and Nehammer for their actions on Monday. The two had made Austria “the laughing stock of Europe”, said SPÖ climate spokesperson Julia Herr in a press statement. 

“What we are currently experiencing is basically the continuation of the last five years of black-green, only with tougher strikes because the election is approaching,” she said.

Meanwhile, far-right FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl demanded that Nehammer take responsibility for Gewessler’s “ideology-driven solo effort”. In his opinion, the law meant the “death” of domestic agriculture and the security of supply with domestic food.

The major environmental NGOs were very pleased with the approval of Gewessler’s EU nature restoration law: Greenpeace spoke of a “milestone” in a press release, the WWF saw “historic progress”, and Global 2000 saw an “important tool in the fight against the biodiversity crisis and the climate crisis”.

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