Schilling as the trigger

Ex-FPÖ man Gudenus insults Van der Bellen badly

Former FPÖ politician Johann Gudenus (right) has described the conduct of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen as "disgusting".

(Bild: Martin Jöchl, APA)

It has been quiet around him for a few weeks, but now Johann Gudenus is once again living up to his reputation as a sloganeer - in true liberal style. This time, however, he has overshot the mark with his choice of words. The 47-year-old described the administration of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen as "disgusting". The verbal derailment was triggered by Van der Bellen's statements about the leading Green EU candidate Lena Schilling.

"There is no more disgusting and partisan conduct in office than that of Mr. Van der Bellen," Gudenus wrote on Instagram. He adds several hashtags to the post, including: "repulsiveness", "left-wing bird" and - "homo" (discriminatory term for homosexuals).

President backed Schilling
Trigger for Gudenus' choice of words? Van der Bellen backed Lena Schilling on Tuesday. The leading Green candidate in the EU elections is facing serious accusations. Among other things, she is said to have falsely accused third parties of sexual harassment.

Van der Bellen commented on Schilling to Ö1: Who as a young person does not make mistakes, should she have made any at all. He had certainly made some. Van der Bellen could refrain from dragging his private life into election campaigns: "Politics is one thing and private life is another."

Homo - man
After Gudenus' post went viral, the ex-blue man took to Instagram again. According to the post, he refers to the Latin word "homo" (human). And adds in the direction of Van der Bellen: "People should also count in the Hofburg. More non-partisanship and empathy for victims of intrigue and slander would be appropriate." Does Gudenus already regret his first post? His current attempt at justification might suggest that he does. 

Blue attacks on the head of state are not new
The fact is that a blue (ex-)politician insulting the head of state below the belt is nothing new. FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl, for example, called the Federal President a "mummy" and "senile" at the beginning of 2023.

Gudenus again and again ...
Gudenus himself last caused a stir in mid-April: New chats prove that he is said to have known around a month after the infamous night in Ibiza that the "scabby Russian woman" actually and probably did have a Latvian passport. However, the Ibiza scandal only became public more than a year and a half later. The name Johann Gudenus also recently emerged in the espionage affair surrounding Egisto Ott.