Demonstrations in Vienna

Students and NGOs protest against Kickl

FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

On Monday at 11 a.m., FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl is in talks with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. He could give him the task of forming a government. The Jewish Austrian University Students have now announced a spontaneous protest rally.

"We call on all democratic forces to send a strong signal against the planned far-right government and to join our spontaneous protest," they wrote on Platform X on Sunday evening. The rally was announced for Monday, 10.30 am, on Ballhausplatz.

Not the only protest
The action will not be the only one against the FPÖ leader. The NGOs Greenpeace, Volkshilfe and SOS Mitmensch also called for a "rally against an extreme right-wing Chancellor" on Sunday evening. This is on Thursday, January 9, at 6 pm - also on Vienna's Ballhausplatz.

Here you can see the posting for the protest rally on Monday.

"Our republic is at a crossroads. There is a threat of an extreme right-wing chancellor and with him an attack on democracy, human rights, justice, independent media and social cohesion in our country," reads a statement. Together we should send a signal "that we want to protect our republic".

The human rights organization SOS Mitmensch quoted past statements by the ÖVP on its account that Herbert Kickl is not fit to govern (Nehammer) and is frightening as Federal Chancellor (Edtstadler). "Are you still doing well, People's Party?" asked spokesperson Alexander Pollak, who identified a genuflection to the FPÖ leader. Nehammer had been sent into the desert.

Here you can see the announcement of the second rally.

Net: "You can go to Israel"
The first reactions on the net are mainly negative to the announcement by the Jewish Austrian University Students. "Kickl is coming. If you don't like it, you can go to Israel," wrote one X user, for example. They should do something against Israel's head of government Benjamin Netanyahu instead, another suggested.

"Nasty incitement, what you are doing here" and "very anti-democratic" can be read. Pollak received comparatively more approval for his post. The ÖVP had become "hypocritical" and "false" as well as unelectable, was one of the comments. Others believe that Nehammer should have been sent to the desert anyway and that Pollak must have slept badly.