NYT: Far-Right Austrian Party On Verge Of Taking Power

The New York Times reports:

The far-right Freedom Party of Austria gained a realistic chance this weekend of leading the country’s next government, after talks between three mainstream parties collapsed.

The Freedom Party’s ascent would put its firebrand leader, Herbert Kickl, into the position of chancellor and signal a new high-water mark for the rise of the far right in Europe.

Mr. Kickl, whose party was founded in the 1950s by former members of the SS, the Nazi paramilitary police, campaigned on a strong anti-immigrant platform. The party has a history of denigrating migrants in Austria as criminals and welfare sponges.

Read the full article.

Bad news for Europe, for 🇺🇦, for human rights, for intern’l law and for public trust (ÖVP breaking promise not to work with Kickl). What will happen before we even make it to the end of January?
Austria Coalition Talks Collapse, Raising Prospects for the Far Right www.nytimes.com/2025/01/05/w…

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— Evelyne Schmid (@evelyneschmid.bsky.social) January 5, 2025 at 5:22 PM