Austria: Jörg Haider Killed in Car Crash
Photo of Jörg Haider courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: Joerg Haider, the veteran leader of Austria's far right, was killed in a car crash today, police said.

Mr Haider, 58, who earned worldwide notoriety for making statements sympathetic to Hitler's Nazi regime, suffered fatal head and chest injuries after the car he was driving plunged down an embankment near his home town of Klagenfurt.

Detectives are still investigating the cause of the crash, but said he was driving alone at the time in a government-owned vehicle.

The death of Mr Haider, who was governor of Carinthia province in southern Austria, comes less than a fortnight after a major resurgence in the far right's political support in the country, riding on a wave of anti-immigrant and anti-European Union sentiment.

At parliamentary elections last month, Mr Haider's Alliance for the Future of Austria polled 11 per cent of the vote, while the similarly-aligned Freedom Party, which Mr Haider founded but then split from, polled 18 per cent. The results meant nearly in three Austrians had voiced support for far-right movements, dismaying the country's liberal politicians.

Mr Haider's death may prompt concerns that political support will pass from him to the current Freedom Party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, who is seen as a much more hardline figure. Mr Haider was originally Mr Strache's political mentor, but the two fell out as Mr Haider chose to pursue more moderate policies in recent years.

Mr Haider's spokesman, Stefan Petzner, said that he had been heading to a town near Klagenfurt for a gathering of his family to mark his mother's 90th birthday.

"This is for us like the end of the world," he added. Austrian Far-right Leader Joerg Haider Killed in Car Crash >>> By Colin Freeman | October 11, 2008

BBC: Obituary: Joerg Haider

To his supporters Joerg Haider was a patriot who dared to speak uncomfortable truths.

His critics saw him as an ambitious, racist opportunist who used anti-immigrant and pro-Nazi rhetoric to stir up populist sentiment.

What is doubtless is that Haider - whose death in a car crash at the age of 58 leaves a widow and two daughters - had charisma.

Commentators said he worked a room like former US President Bill Clinton, embracing supporters and using the familiar "du" form of address.

Born in the Upper Austrian town of Bad Goisern in 1950, Joerg Haider's parents were very early members of the Nazi party, who moved to Germany where they became party officials.

After the war, they were punished for their affiliations and forced to take up menial work.

Critics say Haider's views were shaped by this background, although he said his family seldom discussed the past. >>> | October 11. 2008

LE FIGARO:
Le populiste Jörg Haider se tue dans un accident >>> O.W. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP et AP | 11.10.2008

LE FIGARO:
L'Autriche salue un «homme politique d'exception» >>> O.W. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP et frontnational.com | 11.10.2008

DIE PRESSE: Jörg Haider tödlich verunglückt

Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann und BZÖ-Chef hat sich am Samstag in den frühen Morgenstunden mit seinem Dienstwagen überschlagen und erlag wenig später seinen Verletzungen.

Jörg Haider ist tot. Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann kam in der Nacht mit seinem Wagen von der Loiblpass-Bundesstraße in der Ortschaft Lambichl ab und erlitt bei dem Unfall tödliche Kopf- und Brustverletzungen. Nach Angaben der Ärzte hatte er keine Überlebenschance. Haider wurde 58 Jahre alt, er hinterlässt eine Frau und zwei Töchter. >>> | 11.10.2008

DIE PRESSE:
Pressestimmen >>> | 11.10.2008

NZZ Online: «Die Uhren sind stehen geblieben»

Der Tod Jörg Haiders hinterlässt ein politisches Vakuum in Österreich

Jörg Haider war ohne Zweifel jene Figur auf der politischen Bühne Österreichs, die im In- und Ausland am meisten polarisiert hat: Charismatisch, intelligent, aggressiv – aber zugleich unberechenbar, unstet und rasch beleidigt. Ein «political animal» mit ausgeprägten Instinkten für die Medien: Für ihn war es völlig egal, ob die News schlecht oder gut waren, Hauptsache man war auf der Titelseite. Für Schlagzeilen war ihm alles recht – auch enge Kontakte zu zwiespältigen nahöstlichen Potentaten. Jörg Haider war ebenso brillant wie hochgefährlich. Virtuos spielte er auf dem Klavier der österreichischen Seele: Das mehr als zwiespältige Verhältnis zu den Jahren 1938 bis 1945, die Verdrängung der NS-Verbrechen, an denen sich Österreicher überproportional beteiligt hatten, das jahrelang gepflegte Selbstverständnis Österreichs als «erstes Opfer Hitlerdeutschlands», das schäbige Verhalten gegenüber den Opfern in der Nachkriegszeit – Haider machte sich diese zwiespältigen Gefühle zunutze, mit Auftritten vor Kameradschaftsverbänden alter Kämpfer der Waffen-SS («anständige Menschen, die Charakter haben und ihren Überzeugungen bis heute treu geblieben sind») und gezielt verharmlosenden Äusserungen zur NS-Zeit oder antisemitischen Witzeleien, wie sie an manchen Stammtischen goutiert werden.

Haider profitierte gleichermassen von ganz anderern Regungen: Dem Neid und Hass der Zukurzgekommenen, dem Argwohn des Kleinbürgers gegen «die da oben» und dem Misstrauen des Provinzbewohners gegen das weit entfernte, als überheblich und elitär empfundene «Wien». Seinen grössten Erfolg verzeichnete Haider bezeichnenderweise in den 90er Jahre, als seine Freiheitliche Partei (FPÖ) vom allgemeinen Überdruss gegen die Erstarrung und Verkrustung in der grossen Koalition profitierte. Meinungsforscher sprechen von einem «Dejà vu» – aus den Nationalratswahlen vor zwei Wochen sind die beiden Rechtsparteien nach dem Scheitern der letzten grossen Koalition siegreich hervorgegangen. >>> Von Charles E. Ritterband, Wien | 11. Oktober 2008

NZZ Online: Österreichischer Bundeskanzler über Tod Haiders bestürzt

Gusenbauer kondoliert den Hinterbliebenen des Politikers

Der österreichische Bundeskanzler Alfred Gusenbauer ist nach eigenen Worten «sehr betroffen» über den Unfalltod des Kärntner Landeshauptmannes Jörg Haider. Haider habe die gesamte innenpolitische Landschaft Österreichs über Jahrzehnte hinweg geprägt, erklärte Gusenbauer in einer ersten Stellungnahme. >>> (ap) | 11. Oktober 2008

TAGES ANZEIGER: Haider war unterwegs zum Geburtstag der Mutter

Der Rechtspopulist Jörg Haider ist tot. Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann kam in der Nacht auf heute mit seinem Auto von der Strasse ab und überschlug sich mehrmals. Österreichs Politiker sind bestürzt.

Der 58-jährige Haider wollte ins Bärental, um den 90. Geburtstag seiner Mutter zu feiern. Am Samstag, kurz nach Mitternacht, verlor er am Ortsausgang von Klagenfurt die Kontrolle über den Wagen und verunglückte tödlich. Politiker aller Couleur trauerten in Österreich um Haider und sprachen der Familie ihr Beileid aus.

Haider war nach dem Unfall eingeklemmt und erlitt schwerste Kopf- und Brustverletzungen – wahrscheinlich war auch die Halswirbelsäule gebrochen; der linke Arm war fast vollständig abgetrennt. Weil noch ein Funken Überlebenschance bestand, ordnete die Notärztin die Einlieferung ins Spital Klagenfurt an. Noch auf dem Weg gegen 1.30 Uhr verstarb Haider im Alter von 58 Jahren.

Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann hatte dieses Wochenende ganz für seine Familie reserviert. Alle zusammen wollten den 90. Geburtstag von Haiders Mutter feiern, wie der «Kurier» in seiner Onlineausgabe schreibt. Seinen letzten Termin absolvierte Jörg Haider am Abend in Velden, wo ein neues Gesellschaftsmagazin vorgestellt wurde. Etwa eine halbe Stunde nach Mitternacht verabschiedete sich der Landeshauptmann: «Fahr nach Hause, du hast frei», sagte er noch zu seinem Chauffeur Friedl Schager. >>> | 11. Oktober 2008

leJDD.fr: Jörg Haider est mort

Le leader de l'extrême droite autrichienne s'est tué dans un accident de voiture dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi, près de sa ville natale de Klagenfurt. Jörg Haider, qui avait conduit l'extrême droite au gouvernement dans la cadre d'une coalition avec les conservateurs, avait effectué un retour spectaculaire sur la scène nationale lors des élections législatives du 28 septembre.

"C'est pour nous comme la fin du monde". L'extrême droite autrichienne est endeuillée, comme en témoignent ces propos tenus par l'un de ses dirigeants, Stefan Petzner. Son leader charismatique, Jörg Haider, s'est tué dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi dans un accident de voiture, près de sa ville natale de Klagenfurt. Agé de 58 ans, le dirigeant populiste a perdu le contrôle de son véhicule. Haider, qui était seul dans la voiture, a été mortellement touché à la tête et au torse. Il se rendait à une fête de famille à l'occasion des 90 ans de sa mère. Selon les premiers éléments de l'enquête, il roulait "nettement plus vite" que les 70km/h autorisés à cet endroit. Le président autrichien, Heinz Fischer a salué "un homme politique de grand talent", qui a, à la fois, ravi et ulcéré ses contemporains. >>> Par Marianne ENAULT (avec Reuters) | Samedi 11 Octobre 2008

Al-Jazeera: On Jörg Haider’s Death


WASHINGTON POST: Obituaries: Jörg Haider Made Far-Right Party A Force in Austria

Jörg Haider, a divisive Austrian political figure who rose to prominence as the leader of a far-right movement that was often seen as sympathetic to the country's shadowy Nazi past, died Oct. 11 in a car accident near the southern Austrian city of Klagenfurt. He was 58.

Mr. Haider was passing another car when his Volkswagen Phaeton left the road, struck a pillar and overturned. He died on the way to a hospital. There was no immediate suspicion of foul play.

The charismatic Mr. Haider single-handedly made the ultra-conservative Austrian Freedom Party a force in national politics with his fiery rhetoric against immigrants, the European Union and the euro, the EU's continent-wide currency. He led the most successful far-right party in Europe, far outpacing the political success of France's National Front.

Handsome, photogenic and perpetually tanned, Mr. Haider was known to his supporters as the "Alpine Rambo," partly for his prowess as a mountain climber and skier and partly for his confrontational style.

Mr. Haider's parents had been members of the Nazi party, and he sometimes praised aging Third Reich soldiers at their reunions. But he also mixed easily with a younger generation in nightly visits to discos to recruit new party members.

His rallies attracted throngs of young people who responded to Mr. Haider's pleas to banish immigrants and to challenge Austria's two long-reigning parties, the Social Democrats and the more conservative People's Party.

"People are fed up with the old parties that never live up to their promises," he said in his campaigns. "They want action on everyday problems, whether it is job security, housing or uncontrolled immigration."

At times, Mr. Haider's followers would start singing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," an anthem from the musical "Cabaret" that symbolized the Nazi takeover of Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. >>> By Matt Schudel, Washington Post Staff Writer | Sunday October 12, 2008

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Jörg Haider Was Speeding at Twice the Limit

VIENNA, Austria — Far-right politician Joerg Haider was speeding at more than twice the posted limit before the car crash that killed him, investigators said Sunday as his grief-stricken party appointed a successor.

Flowers, notes and other tributes piled up at the scene of the crash that killed the former leader of the Freedom Party, whose anti-immigration stance and provocative praise of the Nazi era once led the European Union to slap Austria with diplomatic sanctions.

Police reconstructing Saturday's accident in the southern province of Carinthia, where Haider was governor, said the speedometer in the wreckage of Haider's high-powered Volkswagen Phaeton limousine was stuck at 142 kph (88 mph).

The speed limit at the crash site is just 70 kph (43 mph), and it drops to 50 kph (31 mph) just 100 meters (yards) further down the road in the direction Haider was heading.

Prosecutor Gottfried Kranz said the high speed appeared to be the main factor in the crash that killed the 58-year-old politician.

"Any speculation about other causes of the accident is weak," Kranz said, adding that the car was technically sound and police had no reason to suspect foul play. >>> William J Kole, AP | October 12, 2008

THE EARTH TIMES: Stefan Petzner Named as Successor to Jörg Haider

Vienna - Austria's right-wing populist Alliance for the Future of Austria party on Sunday named Stefan Petzner as it new leader following the death of Joerg Haider on Saturday, the Austrian news agency (APA) reported. Petzner, 27, had been Haider's spokesman since 2004.

…

"They are big shoes to fill, but I will keep moving, not stumble," Petzner was quoted as saying. On Saturday he had reacted to the news of Haider's death, saying, "For us, this is like the end of the world." >>> DPA | October 12, 2008

DEUTSCHE WELLE: Haider's Death Unlikely to Reunite Austrian Right

Austria's right-wing populist Alliance for the Future of Austria party named a new head. But experts say the change in leadership probably won't lead to a political shake-up in the Austrian right in the near future. >>> | 12.10. 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Obituary: Jörg Haider

Austrian politician whose populism exploited his nation’s latent passions and earned him international notoriety

Jörg Haider , who died in a car accident on Saturday aged 58, was a Right-wing Austrian politician whose notoriety far exceeded his influence on national events.

Despite the fact that he never held office in an Austrian government, Haider’s gift for self-publicity, and his willingness to venture into territory that others saw as taboo, ensured that he became better known outside his own country than any Austrian politician of his generation.

Precisely what he stood for, however, never became entirely clear. In essence Haider was a populist, appearing to exploit whatever latent passions, fears and insecurities he could detect in his fellow countrymen at any given time. But he did so without much regard for that vital ingredient, judgment.

Thus he was able to describe the Nazi concentration camps as “penal camps” and SS officers as “upstanding men of character”. Although he later recanted, it was no wonder that he was vilified as a “fascist”, a “racist” and a “neo-Nazi”. He was often accused of anti-Semitism, and he formed a friendship with Saddam Hussein.

That he survived as a political figure was due to his boundless ambition allied to a considerable personal charm. Haider had been a talented actor in his youth, and he developed into a master showman who constantly reinvented himself: the clean-cut young man; the Porsche-driving playboy dressed by Armani; the honest son of the soil. >>> | October 13, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) / Free delivery >>>

Road-death Politician Got Drunk in a Gay Bar Hours Before Car Crash... and May Have Been Targeted by Saboteurs
Photo of Jörg Haider courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: Austrian far-Right leader Jorg Haider's car may have been sabotaged before he crashed, it was claimed.

Haider died when his Volkswagen Phaeton veered off the road in the early hours of Saturday morning last week after a boozy celebration party for Austria's right wing leaders.

As throngs of right-wing crowds gathered for his funeral today, makers of the VW Phaeton limo he was driving insist their car is one of the safest in the world and should have survived the crash.

VW spokesman Peter Thul claimed that someone with access to Haider’s car key could have manipulated the car’s electrics.
The car giants have sent their own experts to examine the wreckage and search for signs it may have been sabotaged.

It has also been revealed that on the day of his death, Haider spent part of his last night drinking in a gay club called ‘Stadtkraemer.’

Police have told Haider's family he had a blood alcohol level of 1.8 pro mille - nearly four times Austria's 0.5 limit.

Thul told The Sun: “It is a fact that Haider was going too fast, but such a speed on that curve is not a problem for the car’s physics.

“The Phaeton and Audi A8 are the safest of all. You’d need the key to manipulate the electronics, so someone at a garage would have to tamper with it.

The Stadtkraemer – which translates to The City Shopkeeper – is a well known haunt for the Klagenfurt gay community and advertises itself on the Internet with the slogan: “Whether old or young, lesbian or gay, the restaurant is always cool.”

A fellow diner offered to drive Haider home because he looked the worse for wear, but the 58-year-old governor of the state of Carinthia turned him down.

Haider headed for the notorious gay establishment after his appearance at a night club, the public prosecutor in Klagenfurt confirmed.

He arrived at a quarter past midnight on Saturday morning, left thirty minutes later and was dead within half-an-hour.

Despite being married with two daughters, Haider was “outed” years ago by the Austrian and German press for being homosexual.

He never helped his family man image by turning up at rallies and local events with an entourage of young blond men.

Newspapers in his homeland said they were reluctant to publish “full details” of his homosexuality fearing an outburst of hate towards the gay community would overtake hatred towards foreigners.

According to German daily Taz, many members of Vienna's gay scene claimed he regularly had sex with young men below the age of consent - 18 for homosexuals.

As a result Taz wrote: "These days he prefers to meet with boys from nearby Slovakia" (where the age of consent is 15).

Hosi, or Homosexual Initiative, the biggest gay pressure group in Austria, said before his death: "We've known about Haider's homosexuality for about 10 years. >>> | October 17, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Haider Was Drinking in a Gay Bar Before He Crashed

The Austrian far-Right politician Jörg Haider was seen drinking in a gay bar shortly before his fatal car crash.

Mr Haider, 58, was killed in the early hours of last Saturday when the car he was driving at 88mph, around twice the speed limit, crashed off a road in the southern province of Carinthia, where he served as governor.

Austrian media reported that the amount of alcohol in Mr Haider's blood was nearly four times the legal limit.

The politician, who was married with two daughters but was rumoured throughout his career to be a closet homosexual, spent the last part of his night alive in Stadtkraemer, a popular gay club in Klagenfurt. He arrived at Stadtkraemer at a quarter past midnight after having visited another nightclub, and left thirty minutes later, the public prosecutor in Klagenfurt said. >>> | October 17, 2008

DIE PRESSE: Landestrauer in Kärnten: "Bist du nit bei mir"

Klagenfurt. Mehr als 30.000 Trauergäste werden zur offiziellen Verabschiedung von Jörg Haider am Samstag in Klagenfurt erwartet. Wegen des großen Ansturms muss die Innenstadt für den Individualverkehr gesperrt werden. An der Peripherie wurden Auffangparkplätze eingerichtet, von denen Shuttle-Busse die Besucher in die Innenstadt bringen. >>> Von Robert Benedikt | 17. Oktober 2008

DIE PRESSE: Claudia Haider - Sein wahrer Lebensmensch

Alle Augen sind auf Haiders Witwe Claudia gerichtet. Sie könnte auch dessen politisches Erbe antreten.

Sie war – neben seiner Mutter – Jörg Haiders wahrer Lebensmensch: Ehefrau Claudia. Die Tiroler Försterstochter, geboren in Lenggries (Bayern), war 18 Jahre alt und hatte eben ihr Publizistikstudium begonnen, als sie auf einem Ball Jörg Haider kennenlernte. 1976 wurde in Bad Goisern geheiratet, das erste Kind war unterwegs: Tochter Ulrike. Drei Jahre später kam Cornelia zur Welt. >>> Von Oliver Pink | 17. Oktober 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (UK) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (UK) >>>

Österreich: Abschied von Jörg Haider
Zur Fotogalerie (To the photo gallery) >>>
DIE PRESSE: Jörg Haiders letzter Weg

Begräbnis von Jörg Haider in Klagenfurt. 30.000 Menschen trauern. Der Klagenfurter Bürgermeister in seiner Rede: "Wir trauern um den Landeshauptmann der Herzen."

Der vor einer Woche tödlich verunglückte Kärntner Landeshauptmann Jörg Haider wird heute beigesetzt. Die Trauerfeierlichkeiten finden in Klagenfurt statt. Zuerst wurde der Sarg vom Wappensaal in den Landhaushof getragen, wo ein Trauerakt im engsten Kreis stattfand. Nach der Formierung des Kondukts, untermalt von Trauermusik der Militärmusikkapelle, ging es weiter zum Neuen Platz, wo sechs Redner Nachrufe an Haider formulierten.

"Wir trauern um den Landeshauptmann der Herzen"

"Es geht eine Welle der Trauer und Anteilnahme durch das Land, die Österreich in dem Ausmaß nicht gekannt hat", sagte Haiders früherer politischer Weggefährte und Justizminister Dieter Böhmdorfer bei der Trauerfeier. "Wir trauern um den Landeshauptmann der Herzen, wie er schon genannt wird", sagte der Klagenfurter Bürgermeister Harald Scheucher.

Bundeskanzler Alfred Gusenbauer sparte in seine Rede aber auch nicht an Kritik an der Politik Haiders. Haider sei ein außergewöhnlicher Mann gewesen, im Positiven wie im Negativen, "ich zolle ihm Respekt und Anerkennung über alle politischen Grenzen hinweg".

In den engen Straßen der Klagenfurter Altstadt drängten sich während des Trauerzugs rund 30.000 Menschen. Haiders Sarg war mit der Kärntner Landesflagge und über und über mit roten Rosen bedeckt. Die Trauerprozession mit einer Ehrengarde des Militärs wurde von seiner Ehefrau Claudia und seinen erwachsenen Töchtern angeführt, die in dunkle Landestracht gekleidet waren.

Das Mozart-Requiem im Dom bildet den Abschluss der Trauerfeierlichkeiten. Dazu haben nur geladene Gäste Zutritt, die übrigen Teilnehmer an den Trauerfeiern können das Requiem auf Videowalls verfolgen. Nach dem Auszug aus dem Dom wird der Sarg in den Konduktwagen verladen, ein Schlussgebet gesprochen, zur Abfahrt des Autos soll der Zapfenstreich intoniert werden.

Haiders Leichnam wird anschließend nach Villach gebracht, wo die Einäscherung vorgenommen werden soll. Die Einsegnung wird der langjährige Kärntner Diözesanbischof Egon Kapellari vornehmen, der jetzige Grazer Bischof nimmt auch an der Feier im Dom teil.

Wann die Urne in der Kapelle Alt St. Michael im Bärental im engsten Kreis der Familie beigesetzt wird, darüber herrscht Stillschweigen. >>> | 18. Oktober 2008

BBC: Thousands Attend Haider Funeral

Tens of thousands of mourners have lined the streets of the Austrian city of Klagenfurt for the funeral of the far-right politician, Joerg Haider.

His body was taken in a procession from the provincial parliament to a square in the city, where friends and prominent politicians paid tribute.

Austria's president and chancellor were among the dignitaries who attended a requiem mass in Klagenfurt Cathedral.

Mr Haider died in a car crash a week ago. He had been drinking alcohol.

The 58-year-old was driving alone after leaving a nightclub when his car crashed and overturned while travelling at more than twice the speed limit.

An official from his party, the Alliance for Austria's Future (BZO), said Mr Haider's blood alcohol level was well above the legal limit.

Ceremonial funeral

The accident occurred south of Klagenfurt, the capital of Carinthia, where Joerg Haider was the provincial governor for 11 years.

The centre of Klagenfurt was sealed off for the funeral ceremonies and extra police were deployed to prevent any disruption by far-right protesters.

International guests included Sayf Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, who was a close friend of Mr Haider, and a delegation from Italy's right-wing Northern League.

Mr Haider has been condemned by left-wing groups, and one prominent writer used an article in a leading Austrian newspaper to describe him as a fascist, the BBC's Kerry Skyring reports.

The coffin, covered in wreaths, was borne in a military vehicle along the streets of the city.

Austria's Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer alluded to Mr Haider's controversial reputation in an address to the memorial service.

"He was a man who could leave no-one cold, whether in a positive or a negative sense," Mr Gusenbauer said. >>> | October 18, 2008

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Haider Goes to His Grave, Pursued by Controversy

As 25,000 mourn, a German tabloid reveals where the Austrian right-winger spent his final hours

About 25,000 people filled the streets of Klagenfurt, Jörg Haider's former political stronghold, for the funeral rites yesterday of Austria's far-right populist leader, who died last weekend in a car crash while drunk.

The controversial man was newsworthy to the last. Even as lederhosen-clad mourners left wreaths in tribute to their political hero, a German tabloid was revealing details of his final night out. Bild published pictures of him at the launch of a new newspaper, posing with a mini-dressed blonde draped all over him. Then, said Bild, he headed not for home, but for Stadtkrämer, a local gay bar. It was after spending time there that he got into his Volkswagen Phaeton and, with his blood alcohol level four times the legal limit, drove off. Moments later, his car, going at more than 80mph, flipped over, killing Mr Haider instantly.

But details such as these are never likely to dent the enthusiasm for Mr Haider among his followers. He might have been a worldwide bogey figure, but to many in his beloved Carinthia, he was more than a mere leader. And yesterday, thousands of his devotees joined official Austria and Mr Haider's widow in mourning. "He was," said Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer at an open-air memorial service in Klagenfurt's main square, "a man who could leave no one cold, whether in a positive or a negative sense." >>> By Sylvia Westall in Klagenfurt | Sunday, October 19, 2008

Watch BBC video: The funeral drew thousands onto the streets of Klagenfurt >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe) >>>

Haider's Party Scores 'Posthumous Triumph' for Its Founder
THE JERUSALEM POST: The Alliance for Austria's Future, an extremist anti-immigrant party founded by Jörg Haider, won 45.6 percent of the vote on Sunday in the southern Austrian state of Carinthia.

The Austrian media termed the outcome a "posthumous triumph" for Haider, who died over four months ago in a high-speed car crash in Carinthia that occurred when he was driving intoxicated.

Haider founded the Alliance party in 2005 and had served as governor of the southern Alpine state for 10 years and was active in the state's politics since 1979.

Haider's widow, Claudia Haider, presented a photo of her husband to the Alliance's re-elected candidate for governor, Gerhard Dörfler, at the party celebration on Sunday. She attributed the Alliance victory as recognition for her late husband's political achievements. >>> By Benjamin Weithal, JPost Correspondent, Berlin | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

L’EXPRESS: La liaison gay de Jörg Haider

Jörg Haider, "était l'homme de ma vie", a révélé Stefan Petzner qui n'aura pas tenu bien longtemps à la tête du parti populiste BZÖ...

Le successeur de Jörg Haider n'aura pas tenu bien longtemps à la tête du parti populiste BZÖ... Ayant révélé dans une interview les liens intimes qui l'unissait avec l'homme fort de l'extrême-droite autrichienne, Stefan Petzner a été démis de ses fonctions. Agé de 27 ans et inconnu du grand public, il avait quelque peu étonné en fondant en larmes lors d'une conférence de presse donnée quelques heures après l'annonce de la mort de Haider.

A présent, on comprend mieux pourquoi: "Nous avions une relation qui allait au-delà de l'amitié", a-t-il expliqué sur la principale radio nationale, Ö3, le 19 octobre, "Jörg et moi, on était soudés par quelque chose de très spécial. C'était l'homme de ma vie." L'épouse de Haider était, semble-t-il, au courant de la relation. >>> Par Marc Epstein | Friday, October 24, 2008

TAGES ANZEIGER: Haiders Lebensmensch ist der stille Wahlsieger

In Kärnten erreichte das von Jörg Haider gegründete Bündnis Zukunft Österreich (BZÖ) einen grandiosen Wahlsieg. Hinter dem Erfolg steckt Lebensmensch Stefan Petzner.

Stefan Petzner ist der stille Sieger dieser Wahl, schreibt die Tageszeitung «Österreich». Denn der BZÖ-Politiker, der seinen Wegbegleiter Jörg Haider nach dessen Tod als Lebensmensch bezeichnete, war für den Wahlkampf verantwortlich. Und er hat ihn hervorragend geleitet, wie er übrigens auch selber findet: «Das war für mich der schwierigste Wahlkampf aller Zeiten – aber ich habe noch jeden gewonnen, den ich geführt habe.»

«Wir passen auf dein Kärnten auf»

Seine beste Idee: Am Ende des Wahlkampfes setzte Petzner und sein Team auf ein schlichtes Plakat mit einem an Jörg Haider adressiert Slogan: «Wir passen auf dein Kärnten auf.» Das erwies sich als Geniestreich, wie «Österreich» schreibt.

Mit diesem furiosen Erfolg dürfte Petzner bei seinen Parteifreunden wieder rehabilitiert sein. Nach dem Tod Jörg Haiders wurde er wegen seinen emotionalen Medienauftritten kritisiert. >>> bru | Montag, 2. Marz 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch) – Deutschland & Österreich >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe) – Deutschland & Österreich >>>

Austria in Disbelief after Haider Outed as Gay
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: PRAGUE: Austria has been suspended between shock, indifference and denial since Jörg Haider's successor, Stefan Petzner, said in a radio interview that the controversial and charismatic far-right politician, who died in a car accident this month, had been "the man of my life."

Petzner, the 27-year-old who took over from Haider as head of his right-wing Alliance for the Future of Austria, has made teary-eyed appearances on television since his death. Last Sunday, he told the Austrian radio Ö3 that he had felt a magnetic attraction for Haider, whom he met five years ago.

"We had a special relationship that went far beyond friendship," he said in the highly emotional interview. "Jörg and I were connected by something truly special. He was the man of my life."

Officials at Haider's party, which gained more than 10 percent of the votes in September elections, attempted to limit the political fallout from the confession by dismissing Petzner as party leader. But their requests that the radio interview not be rebroadcast were rebuffed by Austrian journalists.

Haider, 58, the governor of the province of Carinthia, was the son of a shoemaker; his parents were both active Nazis. He rose to national prominence in Austria over the last two decades, championing traditional family values, railing against the European Union and calling for an end to immigration. He had cultivated a macho, man-of-the-people persona, and was married with two daughters.

While his country has been clearly gripped by a somewhat un-Austrian outpouring of emotions, commentators there said the effective outing of Haider had been underplayed or largely ignored in the Austrian media, which tend to shy away from the private lives of politicians and other national figures.

While Vienna has an active, obvious gay community, homosexuality remains a taboo in some more conservative parts of the society, and Haider's supporters are intent on preserving his legacy as a traditional family man. >>> By Dan Bilefsky | October 23, 2008

WIENER ZEITUNG:
BZÖ Boss Named: Klagenfurt: Acting Carinthian Governor Gerhard Dörfler has been confirmed as new provincial governor by the provincial parliament. >>> | October 24, 2008

THE AUSTRALIAN:
Haider's Successor Axed for Loving Him: THE successor to Austrian far-right leader Jorg Haider has been forced to step down after he revealed he and the dead politician had a homosexual relationship… >>> | October 24, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Far-right Austrian Leader Sacked for Revealing Gay Affair with Jörg Haider >>> | October 23, 2008

FRANCE 24:
Haider’s Lover Steps Down as Far-right Party Leader: Stefan Petzner, a former beauty journalist, was forced to step down from the helm of his far right-wing Austrian party shortly after announcing on Austrian radio that he and the notorious Joerg Haider, who dies Oct. 11, had been lovers. >>> | October 23, 2008

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Haider’s Deputy Reveals Gay Affair
Photo of Jörg Haider with Stefan Petzner courtesy of The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: Conservative Austria was in a state of shock today after the male successor to Jörg Haider admitted to having a longstanding “special relationship” with the far right leader who died dramatically in a high speed car crash earlier this month.

Stefan Petzner – the 27-year-old who recently replaced Haider as leader of the right wing Alliance for the Future of Austria and has often appeared in tears on television since his death - effectively outed himself as the deceased’s gay lover while being interviewed on an Austrian radio breakfast show.

“I had to go to him. I had to go to him,” Mr Petzner said in his highly emotional interview as he recalled how he rushed to the hospital where the dead body of 52-year-old* [sic] Haider was lying after his fatal crash in early October.

Admitting that he felt a “magnetic attraction” for Haider, whom he met five years ago while working as a cosmetics reporter, Mr Petzner insisted: “We had a relationship that went far beyond friendship. Jörg and I were connected by something truly special. He was the man of my life.”

He insisted that Mr Haider’s widow, Claudia did not object to his relationship: “She loved him as a woman. He loved her as a man. I loved him in a completely different and personal way. She understood that,” Mr Petzner said. However, the young man’s sister Christiane suggested in a newspaper interview that Mrs Haider had not always been so understanding. “Sometimes Claudia was jealous because Stefan would spend more time with her husband than she did.”

Clearly embarrassed by the revelations, party officials today attempted to limit the political damage and cancelled forthcoming interviews with Mr Petzner. Their attempts to prevent his radio interview being rebroadcast, however, were unsuccessful. >>> By Tony Paterson in Berlin | October 22, 2008

*Jörg Haider was actually born in 1950.

YouTube Video: Stefan Petzner: Jörg Haider ist tot


DIE PRESSE: Neuer BZÖ-Klubchef Bucher: Kampfansage an ÖVP

Foto von Josef Bucher , der neue BZÖ-Klubchef dank der Presse
Knalleffekt in der Obmannsuche: Der 43-jährige Kärntner Josef Bucher wird überraschend neuer BZÖ-Klubchef. Der designierte Parteichef Stefan Petzner hatte Bucher selbst vorgeschlagen.

Am Ende der längeren konstituierenden Sitzung im Parlament des BZÖ am Mittwoch stand eine faustdicke Überraschung: Josef Buchner, 43-jähriger Kärntner aus Friesach wurde einstimmig zum neuen Klubobmann gewählt. Bucher wird fünf Stellvertreter haben: Den designierten BZÖ-Obmann Stefan Petzner, Ursula Haubner, Herbert Scheibner, Ewald Stadler und Peter Westenthaler. Petzner, der als Favorit galt, sagte nach der Sitzung, er selbst habe Bucher als Klubobmann vorgeschlagen.



"Ich glaube, dass wir uns sehr gut ergänzen", so Bucher über Petzner. Der neue Klubchef sieht in der Trennung der beiden Führungspositionen "überhaupt nichts Ungewöhnliches". Petzner sei als Stratege unverzichtbar, vor allem, da es in den kommenden Jahren einige Wahlen zu schlagen gebe. Petzner wiederum würdigte Bucher als Wirtschaftsprofi, der gerade in Zeiten der Finanzkrise absolutes Know-how vorzuweisen habe. >>> | 23. Oktober 2008

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Austria: Asylum Seekers’ Facility under Scrutiny
ASSOCIATED PRESS: VIENNA, Austria — Human rights experts on Tuesday expressed concern about a special facility holding suspected criminal asylum seekers in the mountains of southern Austria.

Joerg Haider, right-wing governor of Carinthia province, said Monday that the facility in a former childrens' home was a security measure to protect the people of Carinthia.

The building houses five men, but has a capacity of 50 and has been in use for about a week, his office said.

Conviction was not a "mandatory prerequisite" for being sent to the facility, Haider's spokesman Stefan Petzner said. The inmates would be "under constant observation so that no criminal acts can be committed," he added.

But he said no one's rights were being violated.

He would not provide specific details on the five in the facility, but confirmed a media report that the men are asylum seekers from Georgia, Kazakhstan and Gambia. He did say some in the group had been convicted, but did not say of what.

"With this security precaution, we are protecting the Carinthian population," Haider said at a news conference Monday. He added that the number of criminal asylum seekers was on the rise. Carinthia currently has about 900 asylum seekers.

The building is in a secluded pasture at an altitude of about 3,900 feet (1,200 meters).

"It's a perfectly normal establishment far away from civilization in a secluded area so they can't get up to anything," said Petzner. "You shouldn't think of this as a prison surrounded by barbed wire."

Human rights experts are not convinced. Austria: Asylum Seekers’ Facility under Scrutiny >>> Veronika Oleksyn | October 8, 2008

RELATED:
Far-right Austria Governor Isolates Asylum Seekers: ASSOCIATED PRESS: VIENNA, Austria — Powerful far-right politician Joerg Haider has set up a holding facility in the remote mountains of southern Austria for asylum seekers suspected as criminals, saying they need to be isolated to protect the people in the area.

Haider gained international prominence in 1999 when the Freedom Party, which he then headed, took 27 percent of the vote in Austria's parliamentary elections. The party's subsequent inclusion in the government led to months of European Union sanctions over Haider's statements, which were seen as anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic and sympathetic to Adolf Hitler's labor policies.

Haider is now governor of Carinthia province and his regional government set up the facility for asylum seekers, which sits in a secluded pasture in the mountains of southern Austria at an altitude of about 3,900 feet.

"With this security precaution, we are protecting the Carinthian population," Haider told a news conference Monday. He said the number of criminal asylum seekers was on the rise. >>> Veronika Oleksyn | October 8, 2008

WIENER ZEITUNG:
BZÖ [Jörg Haider’s Party] to Benefit from Much Larger Party Subsidy >>> | October 9, 2008

DIE PRESSE:
Asyl: UNO übt scharfe Kritik an "Sonderanstalt" in Kärnten: Das UN-Flüchtlings-Hochkommissariat zeigt sich "besorgt über die Folgen der Kriminalisierung einzelner unbescholtener Asylwerber". Auch die isloierte Lage des Quartiers für Asylwerber sei problematisch >>> | 10. Oktober 2008

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Haider soll Millionen von Saddam Hussein erhalten haben: Österreichisches Magazin zitiert aus Dokument der irakischen Regierung
NZZ ONLINE: Der irakische Diktator Saddam Hussein soll dem österreichischen Rechtspopulisten Jörg Haider Millionen gezahlt haben.

Der 2008 verunglückte österreichische Rechtspopulist Jörg Haider soll laut Medienberichten Millionen vom früheren irakischen Präsidenten Saddam Hussein erhalten haben.

Das österreichische Nachrichtenmagazin «profil» meldete unter Berufung auf ein Dokument des irakischen Innenministeriums, Haider habe im Jahr 2002 bei einem Besuch in Bagdad 1,25 Millionen US-Dollar von Saddam Hussein bekommen. Parteifreund Ewald Stadler, der Haider begleitete, erhielt dem von «profil» zitierten Dokument zufolge sogar 3,75 Millionen Dollar. Stadler wies dies zurück. >>> ddp | Samstag, 07. August 2010

Jörg Haiders geheime Geldgeschäfte mit dem irakischen Diktator Saddam Hussein
PROFIL: Haider kassierte 2002 fünf Millionen Dollar / Ewald Stadler wird auch als Empfänger genannt

Der Fall Haider wird zum Problem für die Republik Österreich: Laut einem internen Dossier des irakischen Innenministeriums hat Jörg Haider 2002 fünf Millionen Dollar von Saddam Hussein kassiert. Über Liechtensteiner Briefkästen sollen Schwarzgelder an politische Entscheidungsträger in Österreich, Deutschland und Kroatien geflossen sein. >>> Von Emil Bobi, Michael Nikbakhsh und Ulla Schmid | Samstag, 07. August 2010

Haiders Millionen
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: In Österreich wird vermutet, dass der verstorbene Rechtspopulist Jörg Haider mehrere Millionen von Muammar Gaddafi entgegengenommen hat. Damit soll er den Wahlkampf der FPÖ finanziert haben.



Verbunden: hier und hier

Haider Is Back. Just Don't Mention the War
THE INDEPENDENT: Last time he was in power, his nation became a pariah state. These days, Jörg Haider is more likely to praise the EU than the Nazis, although he and his party still hold controversial views about immigrants. Tony Paterson meets Austria's comeback kid

Jörg Haider, the far-right politician who turned Austria into an international pariah less than a decade ago because of his sympathetic views about Nazi Germany, is aiming for a surprise comeback in elections this weekend.

When he was part of the Austrian government in 1999 the rabble-rousing populist described Nazi SS veterans as "men of honour" and praised Hitler's employment policies, triggering European Union sanctions against Austria as a result.

Mr Haider, 58, has been mostly out of national politics ever since, but in Sunday's parliamentary elections he is hoping to return with a result that will leave him holding the balance of power, and maybe even offer him the chance of becoming head of state.

In an interview at the headquarters of his Alliance for the Future of Austria party in Vienna, Mr Haider told The Independent: "I want to run for the post of Chancellor of Austria – I am convinced that I can offer an alternative to those voters who have had enough of the failures of the outgoing grand coalition government."

Austria's grand coalition, comprising the conservative People's Party and the centre-left Social Democrats, collapsed in July after months of infighting. Neither of the two parties wants to form another alliance. Opinion polls published this week suggest that each will secure only around 25 per cent of the vote. The forecasts suggest that a further 25 per cent of votes will go to Austria's populist far-right bloc comprising the Freedom Party and Mr Haider's Alliance.

Mr Haider is banking on such a constellation leaving the far-right bloc as potential kingmakers. He says he is open to the idea of forming a coalition with either of the two main parties. And as a well-known figure in Austrian politics and a seasoned governor of the state of Carinthia, he sees himself as the ideal candidate for chancellor. Haider Is Back. Just Don't Mention the War >>> Tony Paterson | September 26, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (UK) >>>
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Investigative Reporter Offers Murder Theory Over Death of Jörg Haider
TIMES ONLINE: When Jörg Haider died in a car crash last year, many Austrians mourned the complex, fast-living populist. He may have been an admirer of Hitler’s employment policies, but he seemed to many rightwingers, frustrated with the Vienna Establishment, to hold the key to a new Austria.

Now pressure is growing to reopen the investigation into his death, and at least one investigative reporter is asking whether the 58-year-old politician was murdered.

“There are too many open questions,” said Gerhard Wisniewski, the author of the book Jörg Haider: Accident, Murder or Assassination? that has been selling quickly in Austria since it was launched last Tuesday. “After eight months of research I am convinced that it is highly probable that Haider was the victim of a politically motivated assassination.”

Neither the Haider family nor his political associates go quite that far, but they have been appealing this week for a more thorough look at the events of the night of October 10 last year.

“This case has to be reopened with an independent prosecutor . . . and with the involvement of international experts,” said Stefan Petzner, the former spokesman for Mr Haider and a leading figure in the right-wing BZOe party, the Alliance for the Future of Austria. He is threatening to mobilise a referendum on the issue unless the Justice Minister complies.

Mr Haider’s wife, Claudia, has also joined in the critical chorus, questioning the narrative provided by the police investigation team in the week after the crash. The police version, much of it leaked to the press before the official report, was that Mr Haider had visited various bars, including a reputedly gay hangout, on the night of Saturday October 10, in the town of Klagenfurt. He had drunk the equivalent of a bottle of vodka, according to blood sampling, and had driven at 142 kilometres per hour. >>> Roger Boyes in Berlin | Saturday, July 04, 2009

Israel: „Der Haiderismus lebt auch ohne Haider weiter“
DIE PRESSE: Für Historiker Segev war Haider das „ekelhafte Österreich“.

JERUSALEM. Der Unfalltod des Kärntner Landeshauptmanns Jörg Haider erregt die israelischen Gemüter deutlich weniger als der jüngste Wahlerfolg der österreichischen Rechtsaußenparteien. Während sich die meisten Medien auf die schlichte Nachricht über den Autounfall beschränkten, wagte die Tageszeitung „Haaretz“ die These, dass der Tod Haiders möglicherweise „den Weg zu einem vereinten extremen rechten Lager in Österreich ebnen könnte“. Die auflagenstärkste Tageszeitung „Yediot Achronot“ widmete sich als einzige ausführlich der Person Haiders, den sie als „geistigen Enkel Hitlers“ bezeichnete.

Lebhaft und zahlreich reagierten die Leser der Online-Ausgaben beider Blätter, wobei von gelangweilt bis boshaft alles vertreten ist. Von einer „gerechten Strafe“ ist dort die Rede, und „Ooops, Haider ist tot, aber wen interessiert das schon?“ „Möllemann, Haider, wer ist der nächste?“, fragt ein Blogger, während ein anderer direkt den Mossad, Israels Geheimdienst, hinter dem Unfall vermutet.

Doch Israel habe weder einen Nutzen von Haiders Tod noch Grund zur Freude darüber, meint der Jerusalemer Historiker und Autor Tom Segev. „Ich habe schon immer gedacht, dass Haider nicht uns, sondern Österreich den größten Schaden antut.“ Der könne auch durch sein Ableben nicht repariert werden. „Der Haiderismus lebt auch ohne ihn weiter.“ Dass fast ein Drittel der österreichischen Wahlberechtigten Nazi-Parteien gewählt hätten, „ist für Österreich schrecklich, nicht für mich.“ Israel: „Der Haiderismus lebt auch ohne Haider weiter“ >>> Susanne Knaul | 12. Oktober 2008

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The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe) >>>

Österreich: Gadhafi-Clan soll Haiders geheime Konten gefüllt haben
ZEIT ONLINE: Neue Enthüllungen um den verstorbenen Rechtspopulisten Haider: Er soll über Geheimkonten in Liechtenstein Millionen verschoben haben. Geld kam angeblich auch aus Libyen.

46 Geheimkonten, 45 Millionen Euro: Jörg Haider soll ein Netzwerk von Briefkastenfirmen in Liechtenstein betrieben haben. Bild: Zeit Online
"Das dreckige Dutzend": So fasst das österreichische Nachrichtenmagazin profil die neuen Enthüllungen über den verstorbenen Rechtspopulisten und früheren Kärntner Landeshauptmann Jörg Haider zusammen. Es geht um Geld "aus dunklen Kanälen", um ein "dichtes Netz aus Treuhandkonstruktionen", das Staatsanwälte in drei Ländern beschäftigt. Haider soll in Liechtenstein mehr als ein Dutzend Briefkastenfirmen unterhalten und über diese Geheimkonten rund 45 Millionen Euro am Fiskus vorbei geschleust haben.

Wie das Magazin berichtet, stießen Sonderermittler aus Österreich, Deutschland und der Schweiz auf die Konten, als sie in zwei anderen Fällen gegen Haider ermittelt hatten: den Kauf der Hypo Group Alpe Adria Bank (HGAA) durch die deutsche BayernLB im Jahr 2007 sowie die Privatisierung der österreichischen Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Buwog im Jahr 2004. Insgesamt seien 46 von Treuhändern eingerichtete Briefkastengesellschaften gefunden worden, von denen ein Dutzend Haider zugerechnet werden.

Von den einst 45 Millionen seien inzwischen aber nur noch rund fünf Millionen Euro übrig. Der Rest wurde dem Magazin zufolge bereits vor Jahren verspekuliert. Vieles deute darauf hin, dass die Mittel weder der Freiheitlichen Partei (FPÖ) noch dem Bündnis Zukunft Österreich (BZÖ), sondern ausschließlich Haider zur Verfügung gestanden hätten. Schon als der Politiker im Jahr 2000 die Führung der FPÖ abgab, sei die vermeintlich prall gefüllte Parteikasse bis auf die staatliche Parteienfinanzierung leer gewesen. >>> Zeit online, dpa, Reuters, AFP | Montag, 02. August 2010

Verbunden: Das dreckige Dutzend >>> Von Michael Nikbakhsh und Ulla Schmid | Samstag, 31. Juli 2010

Strache Claims to Be Haider's Heir in the Third Camp
WIENER ZEITUNG: FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache has said that he sees himself as the only heir of former BZÖ leader and Carinthian Governor Jörg Haider in the so-called "Dritte Lager" or right-wing Third Camp of Austrian politics.



The "Dritte Lager" includes right-wing, nationalist and economically-liberal voters in Austria and is the country’s third big camp after Social Democrat (SPÖ) and People's Party (ÖVP) members and sympathisers, respectively.



Strache said that the BZÖ had represented only Haider himself after he split from the FPÖ and formed the BZÖ in 2005.



Strache added that he was inviting "all reasonable forces", voters and politicians to support the "solid path of the FPÖ".



Strache expressed appreciation for the work of his former mentor Haider, with whom he fell out before the BZÖ was founded.

Strache said that Haider had created a new style of politics and made the FPÖ into a strong party.



Strache claimed that he was very pleased that he had had an opportunity to discuss issues with Haider in a meeting last week. Strache, however, ruled out reunification of Austria’s right-wing parties. [Source: Wiener Zeitung] | 14. October 2008

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Jörg Haider. Bild: Google Images
Das dreckige Dutzend
PROFIL ONLINE: Haiders zwölf Briefkästen: Der verstorbene Kärntner Landeshauptmann soll 45 Millionen Euro aus dunklen Kanälen nach Liechtenstein geschleust haben. Bei Kontoöffnungen stießen die Behörden auf ein dichtes Netz an Treuhandkonstruktionen.

Die Geschichte war bisher nicht viel mehr als eine Zote. Aber sie ist so unterhaltsam, dass sie in politischen Zirkeln seit geraumer Zeit als Bonmot kursiert – und das weit über die Kärntner Landesgrenzen hinaus. 



Sie geht so: Kurz nach dem Unfalltod von Jörg Haider im Oktober 2008 werden bei dessen Witwe Claudia zwei Herren vorstellig. Die Brüder Kurt und Uwe Scheuch. Der eine ist Klubobmann des BZÖ im Kärntner Landtag, der andere Landesrat. Die langjährigen Weggefährten des Landeshauptmanns plagt eine Frage, die sie der Hinterbliebenen ohne Umschweife stellen: „Claudia, wo ist das Geld?“



Frau Haiders Antwort wird in der Anekdote nicht überliefert. Heute, zwei Jahre später, verdichten sich die Hinweise, dass dahinter sehr viel mehr stecken dürfte. 



Jörg Haider hat nach profil-Recherchen im Laufe seiner politischen Karriere ein weit verzweigtes Netzwerk von Treuhandkonten in Liechtenstein aufgezogen, über das er Millionen Euro verschieben ließ. Geld, von dessen Existenz nur ein handverlesener Kreis von Personen wusste. Jetzt beschäftigt es die Staatsanwaltschaften dreier Länder. Exklusiv: Haider soll 45 Millionen Euro nach Liechtenstein geschleust haben >>> Von Michael Nikbakhsh und Ulla Schmid | Samstag, 31. Juli 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Far-right Austrian leader Joerg Haider secretly had £40 million in Liechtenstein: More than 45 million euros in undeclared cash belonging to Austria’s late far-right leader Joerg Haider has been found in the secretive European principality of Liechtenstein, according to reports. >>> | Sunday, August 01, 2010

Haider Widow Halts Cremation amid Suspicions
THE INDEPENDENT: Jörg Haider's corpse was sent for a second post-mortem in Italy today after the Austrian far-right leader's widow voiced fears that that his death in a high speed car crash in early October might not have been an accident.

Senior members of his Alliance for the Future of Austria party said that Claudia Haider had serious doubts that her husband was killed as a result of drunk driving and suspected he may have been drugged.

Mr Haider died after his VW Phaeton limousine left the road and somersaulted several times in the early hours of 11 October.

He was driving at twice the speed limit, and an initial post mortem showed that he had four times the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream.

However his widow has refused to accept those findings and insisted that her husband's cremation, which had been due to take place earlier this week, be postponed indefinitely.

Mr Haider's former party colleagues said his body would be subjected to a second post-mortem in Italy and further tests by German pathologists to determine whether foul play may have played a role in his death.

Claudia Haider was said to be highly sceptical of Austrian pathologists' conclusions that the 58-year-old politician had consumed such a large amount of alcohol in such a short space of time. She was reported to have said that such behaviour was not in his character and that she feared that he may have been given drugs. Party officials have said there were no skid marks on the road at the accident site and he may have already been unconscious when he crashed. >>> By Tony Paterson in Berlin | October 24, 2008

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Die Erben von Jörg Haider gestürzt
TAGES ANZEIGER: Im österrreichischen Bundesland Kärnten hatte die FPK bis jetzt eine solide Mehrheit. Nun wurde die Partei des verstorbenen Rechtspopulisten Jörg Haider regelrecht abgestraft. Schuld soll die Korruption sein.

Überraschung im ehemaligen Jörg-Haider-Land Kärnten: Nach Korruptionsskandalen strafen die Wähler die regierende FPK auf bisher in Österreich beispiellose Weise ab.

Die Erben des Rechtspopulisten Jörg Haider stürzten bei den Landtagswahlen am Sonntag dem vorläufigen Endergebnis zufolge auf 17,1 Prozent ab. Bei den letzten Landtagswahlen 2009 hatten sie noch gut 45 Prozent erreicht.

Zahlreiche Korruptionsskandale aus der Ära des 2008 tödlich verunglückten Haider hatten in Kärnten die Koalition aus FPK und konservativer ÖVP brechen lassen. Klarer Wahlsieger ist die sozialdemokratische SPÖ. » | mrs/sda | Sonntag, 03. März 2013

Österreich: Jörg Haiders Partei triumphiert bei Wahl in Kärnten
WELT ONLINE: Die in Wien regierenden österreichischen Sozialdemokraten haben Hochrechnungen zufolge bei Landtagswahlen in Kärnten und Salzburg kräftige Verluste erlitten. Die Haider-Partei BZÖ baute ihre Position als stärkste Partei in Kärnten aus. In Salzburg behauptete sich die SPÖ trotz Verlusten um die fünf Prozent als stärkste Partei.

Foto von Stefan Petzner und Gerhard Dörfler dank der Welt
Viereinhalb Monate nach dem Tod des österreichischen Rechtspopulisten Jörg Haider hat das von ihm gegründete rechte Bündnis Zukunft Österreich (BZÖ) einen triumphalen Sieg bei der Landtagswahl in Kärnten errungen. Das BZÖ kam nach einer stabilen Hochrechnung des ORF-Fernsehens vom Sonntagabend auf 45,6 Prozent der abgegebenen Stimmen.

Damit gewann die von Haider 2005 gegründete Partei sogar noch 3,2 Prozentpunkte dazu. Die rechtsgerichtete Freiheitliche Partei FPÖ, mit der Haider 2004 gewonnen hatte, verpasste mit rund 3,5 Prozent der abgegebenen Stimmen den Einzug in den Landtag. Haider hatte die FPÖ2005 nach innerparteilichen Querelen verlassen.

Ein schweres Debakel erlitten Kärntens Sozialdemokraten (SPÖ), denen Meinungsforscher kurz vor der Wahl noch ein Kopf-an-Kopf-Rennen mit dem BZÖ prognostiziert hatten. Die unter innerparteilichem Streit leidende Landespartei verlor mit 28,8 Prozent knapp 10 Prozentpunkte. Dagegen legte die konservative Volkspartei ÖVP mit 15,8 Prozent um 4,1 Punkte zu. BZÖ-Parteichef Uwe Scheuch sagte am Abend, der triumphale Sieg seiner Partei sei nicht allein ein Ergebnis des „Mitleid-Effekts“ der Bevölkerung. >>> dpa/fsl/lha | Sonntag, 1. März 2009

THE TRUMPET:
Far-Right Landslide in Austria >>> | March 3, 2009

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'Haider Is Our Lady Di'
THE GUARDIAN: As the leaders of Europe's far-right parties gather for today's state funeral of Austria's most controversial politician, is European fascism once again on the rise?

In their hundreds they stand in line, waiting to pay tribute to their hero. Girls with iPods, skinheads in leather jackets, elderly women with shopping trollies and tanned athletic types in Prada sunglasses shuffle silently forward.

"We wanted the kids to feel the enormity of the occasion. After all, he is our Lady Di and this is our 9/11," says Anton Krem, 45, who is here to pay his last respects to Jörg Haider, the Austrian rightwing populist politician who died in a drunken, high-speed car crash a week ago and whose coffin sits on a pedestal in the Landhaus, seat of Carinthia's regional parliament, the southern province where he was governor.

An after-work crowd of about 300 makes its way through an avenue of huge wreaths. Everyone from the Chamber of Carinthian Chemists to the regional tourist board has sent a display. Klagenfurt, the state capital, is busy preparing itself for today's ceremony, the most emotional state funeral since that of the last Austrian empress, Zita von Bourbon-Parma, in 1989.

Amid a sea of red candles one teenager has written: "To a great man of the nation who fought for his land. Our hero, our fighter, our sunshine." Another note reads: "Our king of hearts". Slipped in between are pictures of Haider, an orange sweater - the colour of his breakaway Alliance for the Future of Austria party (BZO) - draped over his shoulders, glass of beer in hand; another shows the maverick fascist bungee jumping off a bridge.

Behind the scenes, functionaries and volunteers have been working around the clock sending invitations. Austria's political elite are expected to attend tomorrow. But the 50,000 mourners are also expected to include Belgian nationalist Filip Dewinter, French extremist Jean-Marie le Pen, Alessandra Mussolini, the granddaughter of the Italian wartime fascist leader, Umberto Bossi from Italy's Northern League, Swiss industrialist Christoph Blocher, and a handful of Waffen-SS veterans, whom Haider once described as "men of character". Younger far-right figures have also hinted they will turn up, though Austrian intelligence is on alert to turn away groups of skinheads or neo-fascists, to stop the event turning into a rally.

With state broadcaster ORF planning live coverage, President Heinz Fischer, who will give the main speech, and other politicians have asked for assurances that they will not appear in the same frames as anyone from the far right. "They realise it could get very embarrassing," says Hans Rauscher, veteran writer for Der Standard newspaper.

The fear gripping the elite shows the extent to which Haider managed to impose himself on Austria's political scene, becoming a figurehead for an array of far-right European groups. Particularly at such a sensitive economic moment, when parallels with 1929 and the great depression are drawn every day, the fear is that the extreme right may seek to exploit the symbolic power of such a gathering. >>> Kate Connolly | October 18, 2008

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Haider Widow Meets Pope for Easter Blessing
AUSTRIAN TIMES: The widow of former Carinthian Governor Jörg Haider has visited the Pope at the Vatican to receive a blessing before spending her first Easter alone.



Claudia Haider and her daughter Ulrike visited Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday this week with a small group after making the request to see him.



The last trip Haider made with her late husband was to Rome, where the Pope received them both. She reportedly wanted to get the Pope’s blessing before spending her first Easter without her late husband.



Claudia Haider gave the Pope a photograph of her late husband, the Pope and herself taken during the papal audience at which the Pope had received the two of them. >>> Austrian Times | Thursday, April 2, 2009

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Österreich: Haiders verschwiegenes Doppelleben
SUEDDEUTSCHE: In Österreich wird nun offen über heikle private Details des Verunglückten diskutiert, weil sie auch politische Folgen haben.

Selten haben persönliche Umstände derart große politische Auswirkungen wie im Falle des Kärntner Landeshauptmanns Jörg Haider. Schnell hatte es nach Haiders Unfalltod geheißen, das von ihm gegründete und geführte Bündnis Zukunft Österreich (BZÖ) solle nun von Stefan Petzner geleitet werden, dem bisherigen Generalsekretär der Partei.

Doch der 27-Jährige ist umstritten in diesem Amt. Zum Verhängnis wird ihm offenbar seine übergroße Nähe zu Haider. Auch als Vorsitzender der neuen Nationalratsfraktion in Wien konnte er sich nicht durchsetzen. Man zog ihm den eher blassen Josef Bucher aus der Kärntner Parteiorganisation vor, die als einzige etwas Substanz in dem bislang nur auf Haider zugeschnittenen BZÖ hat. Petzner wurde erster von fünf Stellvertretern in der 21-köpfigen Fraktion.

Der Widerstand gegen Petzner hat mit der Abneigung vieler Parteimitglieder gegenüber der gleichsam dynastischen Nachfolge zu tun: Petzner war jahrelang so etwas wie Haiders Lebensgefährte. Daher auch die anhaltende Erschütterung Petzners nach Haiders Tod, den er als erster - andere machten es nach - seinen "Lebensmenschen" nannte. Dass dies bei dem jungen Mann der Wirklichkeit ziemlich nahe sein könnte, wollen viele im BZÖ indessen nicht unbedingt als Qualifikation nehmen.

Petzners Fassungslosigkeit erklärt sich auch daraus, dass ein Beziehungsdrama möglicherweise den Tod des österreichischen Rechtspopulisten mitverursacht hat. Auch wenn derlei sehr privat ist, verlangt doch Österreichs Öffentlichkeit immer energischer Aufklärung über den wirklichen Hergang des katastrophalen Unfalls. Demnach ist Haider von einer Festlichkeit fast nüchtern mit seinem Dienstwagen abgefahren. >>> Von Michael Frank, Wien | 29. Oktober 2008

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