Firewall against the FPÖ?

NEOS: “Right-wing is different from far-right”

NEOS party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger said on Monday that "we finally need clarity that far-right is something other than right-wing".

(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

Is the FPÖ far-right and do we need a firewall against the Freedom Party? Yes, say the Greens. The NEOS, on the other hand, have a softer tone. "We finally need clarity that far-right is something other than right-wing," emphasized the pink party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger on Monday.

The governor of Burgenland, Hans Peter Doskozil, warns against placing all FPÖ voters in the right-wing corner. In doing so, he is - once again - expressing a different opinion to the federal SPÖ. 

"Without a firewall against the far-right blue party, Austria is threatened with a decline like in Hungary," emphasized Green Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler at a press conference on Monday morning.

"There is hardly any differentiation from the FPÖ"
He recognized the upcoming National Council elections as a directional decision. "Blue cannot somehow be considered for participation in government", said the Green Party leader. The Vice-Chancellor misses a corresponding distancing of the People's Party. There is hardly any differentiation from the FPÖ.

FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl wants to go the way of Hungary with Austria - with a rapprochement to Russia and a turning away from our common, free Europe. And that will lead to things going further and further downhill.

Vizekanzler Werner Kogler (Grüne)

Kogler attacks Doskozil
He did not leave the SPÖ out of the draw either. If the camp around the Burgenland governor Hans Peter Doskozil prevailed, there would also be enough top functionaries there who wanted to leave the blue option open.

Federal SPÖ: "FPÖ sows hatred"
The Greens are receiving support from the federal SPÖ. "The FPÖ sows hatred and divides society. There is no state to be made with them. The SPÖ is THE firewall against right-wing extremists. Anyone who wants to prevent a blue-black coalition must vote SPÖ on September 29," says the red federal managing director Klaus Seltenheim.

The SPÖ is THE firewall against right-wing extremists.

SPÖ-Bundesgeschäftsführer Klaus Seltenheim

When asked at a press conference on Monday whether it was right to form a "firewall" against the FPÖ, Doskozil himself explained that it would also have been difficult for him to form a coalition with the Freedom Party - especially with the current leadership - at a federal political level. "But you can't put the voters of the Freedom Party - and there will be a lot of them - in the right corner."

Doskozil wants to "fill in rifts"
It is much more important to fill in the gaps, act as a unifying force and make these voters a "serious offer", which is his personal approach: "That would be the right step." The election campaign will now last just under three weeks: "Then we'll see what comes out and assess it."

"You can't put the voters of the Freedom Party - and there will be a lot of them - in the right corner. It is much more important to fill in the gaps, present a united front and make these voters a serious offer.

Burgenlands Landeshauptmann Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ)

NEOS leader: "Parts of the FPÖ are far-right"
NEOS party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger said on the sidelines of a press conference that "we finally need clarity that far-right is something other than right-wing". "And as a liberal, I also want a firewall against the far right."

The Greens had their chance, she said: "Either there will be a new edition of black-blue or blue-black. Or there will be a reform coalition," she said.

It finally needs to be made clear that far-right is something other than right-wing.

NEOS-Chefin Beate Meinl-Reisiger

The FPÖ is in any case "in parts right-wing extremist". She was not sure what the ÖVP would do, "but anyone who votes for the NEOS knows that there is a reform coalition".

FPÖ speaks of "dirt bucket"
At a press conference, General Secretary Christian Hafenecker described the Greens' "firewall" against the FPÖ as a "dirt bucket against the Freedom Party, which is directed by itself".

The firewall against the FPÖ is little more than the last straw to mobilize voters. In every country where the Greens are in power, things are going dramatically downhill.

FPÖ-Generalsekretär Christian Hafenecker

The FPÖ would have been a permanent fixture in Austrian party life for decades. The "firewall" is not much more than "the last straw" to mobilize voters. "In every country where the Greens are in power, things are going dramatically downhill," said Hafenecker.