Other parties rage

“Flag scandal” overshadows Orbán’s visit to Vienna

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31.10.2024 21:35

Austria's new Freedom Party National Council President Walter Rosenkranz received Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as his first international guest on Thursday. Harsh criticism was already inevitable (and probably quite welcome). A cooperation agreement was then also signed with FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl - and that was not the only thing that caused additional outrage.

Received with full honors - including a red carpet - by the newly appointed President of the National Council Rosenkranz, whose FPÖ has a close relationship with his party: Hungary's Orbán rode into Vienna in spectacular style.

Many see provocation
For many, Rosenkranz's first international guest is a provocation. He is an opponent of liberal democracy, according to Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler of the Greens. "The signal is fatal."

"Anyone who takes Orbán as a role model is harming the country and the people. Kickl and Co. are once again demonstrating that they want to seal off Austria and orbanize our country," said SPÖ leader Andreas Babler.

Other parties were not invited
It is routine for the President of the National Council to receive foreign guests of state. However, it is unusual for the head of parliament's delegation to consist solely of FPÖ MPs. Rosenkranz was joined by FPÖ leader Kickl, Secretary General Christian Hafenecker, EU delegation leader Harald Vilimsky and foreign policy spokesperson Susanne Fürst.

Other parties were not invited by the President, who had emphasized the common ground for all parties at the start. There was also a separate meeting with Kickl, which had already been arranged for some time (see below).

Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures (Bild: APA/Tobias Steinmaurer)
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures (Bild: APA/Tobias Steinmaurer)
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures (Bild: APA/Tobias Steinmaurer)
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures (Bild: APA/Tobias Steinmaurer)
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures (Bild: Photonews.at Georges Schneider/APA/Photonews.at/Georges Schneider)
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures (Bild: APA/Eva Manhart)
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures (Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)
Viktor Orbán in Vienna - his visit in pictures

The ÖVP and NEOS expressed concern about the fact that only FPÖ party members were present at the meeting with Orbán. "In any case, the People's Party was not invited," said August Wöginger, the ÖVP's parliamentary group chairman, who also asked who was paying for the costs of the visit.

NEOS deputy leader Nikolaus Scherak criticized Rosenkranz's approach in principle. "Instead of carrying out his task in a neutral and balanced manner across party lines as intended, he is inviting the entire FPÖ party as the only parliamentary group to a working meeting with Viktor Orbán. This is diametrically opposed to the way a President of the National Council should act."

The European flag was removed without further ado
The removal of the European flag at short notice also caused quite a stir. Only the flags of Austria and Hungary were presented. For the Greens, this was a further signal of hostility towards the EU. The official explanation, however, is that Orbán was not in Vienna in his current position as President of the EU Council, but only for bilateral talks ...

The NEOS also voiced criticism of the missing flag. EU parliamentarian Helmut Brandstätter spoke on X of a lack of solidarity with Europe, as Rosenkranz had "explicitly wanted to receive Orbán as President of the EU Council":

Pact concluded with Kickl
The Hungarian Prime Minister then also signed a "Vienna Declaration " with Kickl - a cooperation between Austria and Hungary in areas such as border security and cooperation in the EU in the sense of a reform of the Union, an "alliance of patriots" in the joint fight against centralism and against illegal migration as the greatest threat to Europe's culture.

The "Vienna Declaration" between Kickl and Orbán naturally also caused anger among some commentators:

In the evening, things continued in line with this tenor in the Sofiensäle - where, among other things, people philosophized about Ukraine, which would have lost the war against Russia long ago anyway.

Orbán made fun of demonstrators
Incidentally, the Socialist Youth and SoHo, the SPÖ's queer organization, demonstrated in front of the parliament on the fringes of the visit. As Orbán drove in, the demonstrators chanted slogans at the top of their voices. This made little impression on Orbán - he did not miss the opportunity to post a short video in which he makes fun of the demonstrators.

This is how the Hungarian Prime Minister reacts to demonstrators in Vienna:

The video first shows rally participants chanting, then comes the insert "5 minutes later", finally, with cheerful music playing, comes the same spot in front of the parliament - without any demonstrators at all.

The title of the video is in Hungarian: "That was quick ..."

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

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