Free Speech: FPÖ Does the Splits
DIE JÜDISCHE.AT: Flushed with its success in September's elections, the right-wing extremist Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) is urging moves to scrap the Austrian law that bans Nazi activity and attempts to revive Nazism. Norbert Hofer, an FPÖ MP has suggested a referendum to test public opinion on abolition of the law. He is supported by his party's leader Heinz-Christian Strache. 



At the same time as the far-right is trying to lift restrictions on the dissemination of hatred, threats from far-rightists have forced two satirical political revue performers, Dirk Stermann and Christoph Grissemann, to cancel a performance, planned for December, at Klagenfurt University.



The cause for the pressure on the duo is that they devoted their last show, titled Welcome to Austria, on ORF TV - the Austrian state channel - on 23 October to the death of Carinthian governor and right-wing extremist, Jörg Haider, and the consequences of his demise in a car crash. The Alliance for Austria's Future (BZÖ), the party formerly led by Haider, has branded the satirists' performance as "not acceptable for Carinthia" while the FPÖ has gone further by demanding that their presence on ORF is banned. 



The FPÖ does not deny that freedom is excellent except that it only seems to want it for Holocaust deniers while, hypocritically, claiming that satirical revue performers are unworthy of it. It now remains to be seen whether the left and liberal intellectuals who rushed to defend the British Holocaust denier David Irving* when he fell foul of Austrian law will display some support for and solidarity with Stermann and Grissemann. [Source: Die Jüdische] Karl Pfeifer | November 7, 2008

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Austrian Parliament Elects Extreme-Rightist as Its Vice-President
EUROPEAN JEWISH PRESS: VIENNA---The Austrian Jewish community has criticized the election Tuesday by the new Austrian Parliament of an extreme-rightist MP known to be a nostalgic of the Third Reich, as its vice-president, [sic]

Martin Graf, a 48-year-old lawyer, is a member of a student fraternity union called “Olympia” that has contacts with neo-nazis [sic] and Holocaust deniers. He is also an MP from the extreme-right Freedom Party (FPO) [FPÖ] which has made important gains in general elections last month.

70 percent of the members of the Austrian parliament supported Graf’s candidacy, including the mainstream conservative People’s Party (OVP) [ÖVP].

In the last two weeks, former concentration camp inmates, Vienna's Jewish community, artists and other members of the civil society had written several open letters to MPs, asking them not to vote for Graf.

Austrian MPs "made a symbolic decision which can lead to a further strengthening of the right-wing extremist camp and which shows little sensibility for Austrian history and the tragic results of German nationalism," the Vienna Jewish community said.

“The fact that he could be elected vice-president of the Austrian Parliament should light warning signals not only in Austria but all over Europe,” the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem said. >>> Joseph Rottenmeier | October 30, 2008

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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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Will the Far Right Doom Austria's Mainstream Parties?
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Despite their worst defeat in postwar history, Austria's Social Democrats and conservatives are preparing to enter into a second coalition government. But gains made by the country's far right, suggest the future could be dim for Austria's two mainstream parties.

No one pays much mind to the short, elegant man standing at a taxi stand in front of Vienna's Hofburg Imperial Palace, once home to the Habsburg dynasty. With his salt-and-pepper hair, alert eyes and bushy eyebrows, he spends a full 20 minutes standing among the people without being recognized. He's on his mobile telephone trying to build a new government for Austria.

Werner Faymann wants to be the country's next chancellor. Faymann, touted as "the new choice" on campaign posters, also happens to be the man the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) can thank for capturing only 29 percent of votes in that country's parliamentary election -- the worst outcome for the party since the end of World War II. The potential chancellor, as the behind-the-scenes coordinator of his party's failed coalition with the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), as transportation minister and, since June, as head of the SPÖ, bears a large share of the responsibility for the disaster.

But now it's time for Faymann to put things right. Facing a tight schedule, he barely has enough time to sit down for a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice at Café Griensteidl. "The council of ministers, committee meetings, the party leadership," says Faymann, noting that they all want something from him now, and yet he doesn't try to create the impression that his hectic schedule is something he regrets. We need a reasonable government, quickly, he says, pointing out that the old "coalition of disagreement has been voted out of office."

Formally, at any rate. Only an hour earlier, these lame-duck politicians were sworn in a second time, at a ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance of the Habsburg court, and Werner Faymann was in the thick of it. The entire group had to appear once more in the Maria Theresia Room of the Hofburg Palace, under crystal chandeliers, gilded stucco and tapestries: the ministers from the two major parties, the SPÖ and the ÖVP, who, for a little less than 18 months -- a shorter tenure than that of any other cabinet in Austria's Second Republic -- were part of a coalition government racked by vicious feuds.

Now they are taking a new oath of office, pledging to do the best possible job until a new government has been formed. Judging by their high spirits, one would think they were teenagers on a class trip. Hapless outgoing Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer watches the spectacle with a stony expression on his face. Instead of Gusenbauer, his fellow party member Faymann steps into the spotlight at the end to praise the electorate: "The public has a strong sense for when a politician is acting in a constructive way." Will the Far Right Doom Austria's Mainstream Parties? (Part 1)>>> By Walter Mayr in Vienna | October 8, 2008

'I'll Pop Open a Bottle of Champagne the Day There Is No Longer an Israeli Ambassador in Vienna' (Part 2) >>> By Walter Mayr in Vienna | October 8, 2008

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Jugend am rechten Rand: Fast jeder zweite
Österreicher unter 30 wählt FPÖ/BZÖ
Foto von Heinz-Christian Strache dank dem Online Magazin Österreichs Profil
PROFIL (AT): Österreichs Jungwähler: 'Verrückt nach Rechts' / Das wichtigste Wahlmotiv: die Ausländer

In der Generation unter dreißig wählte fast jeder zweite Österreicher FPÖ oder BZÖ.

Erwin E., 18, war „kein großer Lerner“, deshalb verließ er die Schule. So kam es, dass er die Frage nach seinem Beruf heute so beantworten kann: „Dasselbe, was der Strache früher gemacht hat.“ Zahntechniker also. Für einen jungen Mann, der sein Auto mit einem FPÖ-Bären aufputzt und Zigaretten mit einem Strache-Feuerzeug anzündet, ist das durchaus eine glückliche Fügung. Erwin E. hat blau gewählt. Reinhard S.*, 17, geht ins Gymnasium. Auf seiner Computerfestplatte gibt es ein Foto, auf dem er mit FPÖ-Parteichef Heinz-Christian Strache wie mit einem Popstar posiert. Das Bild entstand nach einer Wahlkampfveranstaltung auf dem örtlichen Hauptplatz. Schon bei der niederösterreichischen Landtagswahl hatte Reinhard die FPÖ angekreuzt. Und jetzt, bei der Nationalratswahl, wieder.
Erwin und Reinhard finden, dass Strache „die Themen am besten vertritt“: Sie meinen „Ausländerstopp“, „Asylmissbrauch“, „Heimatschutz“. Und so wie sie denkt längst nicht mehr nur eine radikale Minderheit. Trocken konstatiert Peter Ulram, Chef des Meinungsforschungsinstituts GfK, offenbar habe „niemand von den anderen Parteien eine Antwort auf das Lebensgefühl der Jungen gefunden“. Ulrams Daten zufolge kam das dritte Lager – FPÖ und BZÖ zusammengenommen – in der Altersklasse der unter 30-Jährigen auf 43 Prozent. Noch deutlicher war das Rechts-Votum der Erstwähler: 44 Prozent der 16- bis 19-Jährigen stimmten für FPÖ-Chef Heinz- Christian Strache, drei Prozent für dessen politischen Ziehvater Jörg Haider (BZÖ). Fast jeder Zweite wählte rechts. SPÖ und Grüne, die sich von einer Senkung des Wahlalters am meisten versprochen hatten, sind bei den Jungen abgemeldet (siehe Grafik). Laut GfK-Wahltagsbefragung waren die Roten in der Generation unter dreißig nur für jeden Zehnten wählbar. „Das ist die Partei, die Geld, das nicht da ist, für Leute ausgibt, die nix hackeln wollen“, ätzt die 17-jährige Kremser Schülerin Tanja. Das klingt auch ziemlich rechts; dabei ist sie „eine Grüne“. Jugend am rechten Rand: Fast jeder zweite
Österreicher unter 30 wählt FPÖ/BZÖ >>> Von Marianne Enigl und Edith Meinhart | 7. Oktober 2008

LE FIGARO:
L'extrême droite autrichienne séduit les adolescents : Environ 40 % des moins de 18 ans ont voté pour le FPÖ de Heinz-Christian Strache.

Il y avait pourtant des «super-prix» à gagner, comme des places de concert ou des iPods, sur le site Internet des jeunes sociaux-démocrates ! Un «jeu-online» du «Candidat à la chancellerie» sur celui des conservateurs. Des «speed datings», organisés près de l'Opéra de Vienne, pour mieux connaître les candidats Verts… C'est cependant l'extrême droite que les 16-18 ans, qui votaient dimanche pour la première fois en Autriche, ont plébiscitée.

Avec l'abaissement de l'âge légal pour voter à 16 ans adopté l'an dernier, quelque 183 000 jeunes Autrichiens de moins de 18 ans ont mis, pour la première fois, leur bulletin dans l'urne. Mais les adolescents, très convoités par tous les partis, n'ont pas gobé tous ces «bonbons électoraux» : «Louer un politicien» pour une soirée, comme l'ont proposé par exemple les sociaux-démocrates, très peu pour eux ! >>> Stéphane Kovacs | 30.09.2008

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Strache trifft Pröll und ortet "Bereitschaft des Miteinander"
Foto of Josef Pröll dank Google Images
DIE PRESSE: ÖVP-Chef Pröll hat bei FPÖ-Obmann Strache einen "Antrittsbesuch" absolviert. Über eine mögliche Koalition soll nicht gesprochen worden sein. Strache sieht jedoch ein Abgehen von der "Ausgrenzung" seiner Partei.

ÖVP-Obmann Josef Pröll hat sich am Montag mit FPÖ-Chef Heinz-Christian Strache getroffen. Eine mögliche Regierungszusammenarbeit sei dabei jedoch kein Thema gewesen, betonten danach beide Seiten: "Es gab weder Vereinbarungen noch Zusagen, auch nicht über weitere Termine".

Über den Inhalt des 45-minütigen Gesprächs sei "ansonsten Stillschweigen vereinbart" worden, hieß es aus ÖVP-Seite. Immerhin: Man habe sich "mit der Analyse der nach dm Wahlergebnis eingetretenen Situation befasst" und habe "weiters festgestellt, dass die Regierungsbildung unter diesen Voraussetzungen nicht einfach wird". Es sei ein "interessantes Gespräch" gewesen.

Strache erklärte, er habe den Eindruck, dass die ÖVP von ihrer "Ausgrenzung" der FPÖ abgehe und eine "atmosphärische Normalität" einkehre. Der FP-Chef ortet ein "neues Politkapitel" und eine "Bereitschaft des Miteinander". Der "Antrittsbesuch" Prölls als neuer ÖVP-Obmann sei "politische Normalität". Strache trifft Pröll und ortet "Bereitschaft des Miteinander" >>> | 6. Oktober 2008

Foto Galerie:
Josef Pröll: Der neue starke Mann der ÖVP >>>

WIENER ZEITUNG:
Pröll/Strache: "Interessantes" Gespräch >>> | Montag, 06. Oktober 2008

WELT ONLINE:
Die neue Hoffnung der Konservativen in Österreich: Josef Pröll, der neue Obmann der ÖVP, kommt zwar vom Bauernbund, gilt aber als liberal - Und er ist ein Verfechter der großen Koalition >>> Von Reinhard Engel | 1. Oktober 2008

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Strache Trivialises Hitler Again
Photo of Heinz Christian Strache courtesy of the Austrian Times
AUSTRIAN TIMES: FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache is courting controversy again after trivialising the Nazi crimes of Hitler's Third Reich.



Asked in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph what he thought about Hitler and his evil deeds and the accusations that he (Strache) still had Nazi ties, Strache said: "I am just not interested in that guy."



Politics' rising star Strache, described as kind of a "political pop star" by pundits and analysts, has often been forced to dissociate himself from the Nazi mindset due to his xenophobic views. Strache Trivialises Hitler Again >>> | October 3, 2008

WIENER ZEITUNG:
Strache Fears Cold Shoulder Coalition >>> | October 3, 2008

WIENER ZEITUNG:
Austrian Election: Far-right Surge or Breath of Fresh Air >>> | October 3, 2008

THE NEW REPUBLIC:
The Dismaying Close-Mindedness of a Country I Love >>> By Clay Risen | October 2, 2008

SPECTATOR:
The Distant Sound Of Breaking Glass >>> By Melanie Phillips | Septemebr 29, 2008

THE EARTH TIMES:
Austria Opens First Muslim Cemetery after Delays: Vienna - Austria's first Islamic cemetery opened Friday in Vienna, ending years of delay due partly to financing gaps and an arson attack while the complex was under construction. Funding by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was crucial to completing the site, which has space for 4,000 graves and was originally slated to open in 2003, Austrian media reported.

City authorities donated the land and part of the construction costs to the Islamic Community of Austria, which built the 3-million- euro (4.2-million-dollar) complex on a former industrial site on the capital's outskirts. It includes a mausoleum and offices. >>> DPA | October 3, 3008

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Islam: ”The Fascism of the Twenty-first Century” – HC Strache
Photo courtesy of Google Images
THE GUARDIAN: • Strache seen as further to right than mentor Haider 
• Weakened main party faces coalition dilemma

He has been filmed in forests, carrying arms and wearing paramilitary fatigues in the company of banned German neo-Nazis. Islam, he says, is "the fascism of the 21st century". He was photographed apparently giving a three-fingered neo-Nazi salute - though he says he was ordering three beers.

He mocks gay people; wants a ministry for the deportation of immigrants; says "Vienna must not become Istanbul"; hopes to repeal laws banning Nazi revivalism, and is pushing for a constitutional ban on the building of minarets. Heinz-Christian Strache, a former dental technician, is the new star of Austrian politics and the new poster boy of Europe's extreme right.

"I was never a neo-Nazi, and never will be," Strache has insisted. But when he sued the Vienna news weekly Profil for defamation, the court ruled that Strache could fairly be said to display "an affinity to national-socialist thinking".

Strache, 39, led his Freedom party to 18% of the vote in an early general election on Sunday. His former boss and mentor-turned-rival, Jörg Haider, single-handedly steered his breakaway far-right Movement for Austria's Future to 11% - meaning that almost one in three Austrians who voted opted for the extreme right.

"A unique case among the western democracies," said Profil yesterday as Viennese liberals reeled from the results of an election that put the far right comfortably ahead of the mainstream conservatives of the Austrian People's party and neck-and-neck with the Social Democrats, who narrowly won the election.

It will be very difficult for any party to muster a parliamentary majority. The only options are for the Social Democrats to invite Strache into government, or to form another "grand coalition" with the Christian Democrats. Such a coalition collapsed in June after 18 months in office, and another attempt could fire a bigger protest vote for Strache next time. Austria in Crisis as Far Right Win 29% of Vote >>> By Ian Traynor, Europe editor | September 30, 2008

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The Jolt that Europe Needed?: Heinz Christian Strache Claims Victory in Austria
Photo of Heinz Christian Strache courtesy of Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Google Images (Austria)
THE INDEPENDENT: He has been linked to neo-Nazi groups, says that women in Islamic dress are "female ninjas" and wants to take Austria out of the EU. But after his huge gains in yesterday's general election, the far-right leader Heinz-Christian Strache was today bidding to become his country's next Chancellor.

The extreme-right romped home with a record 29 per cent of the vote in Sunday's Austrian poll, inflicting disaster on the country's two main established parties, the Social Democrats and centre-right People's Party, whose grand coalition government collapsed earlier this year due to infighting.

In their worst performance since 1945, the Social Democrats secured 30 percent of the vote and their conservative rivals a mere 25 percent. With Austria now in political turmoil, the two parties were yesterday facing the unwelcome choices of forming another highly unpopular grand coalition or joining forces with the far right.

The xenophobic Freedom Party, presided over by 39-year-old Strache, won 18 percent of the far right vote with the remainder going to veteran right winger Jörg Haider's Alliance for the Future of Austria. It was the Austrian far right's best performance since the Second World War.

Yesterday Strache, a dental technician who sports a permanent tan, claimed to be the true victor in the election. "We are the winners of election night," he told Austrian television. Demanding a role in any future Austrian government, he also announced that he was interested in becoming the country's next Chancellor. Far-Right's Strache Claims Austria Victory >>> By Tony Paterson in Berlin | September 29, 2008

FINANCIAL TIMES:
Austria Sees Return of Extreme Right >>> By Eric Frey in Vienna and Haig Simonian in Zurich | September 29, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Muslim Graves Desecrated as Austria Swings to the Right: Police are blaming far-Right extremists for desecrating a Muslim cemetery in Austria, in the same weekend that the political parties of the far-Right made huge gains in the country's general election.
More than 90 graves were severely damaged at the cemetery in Traun, near Linz, some time between Friday night and this morning, in what police believe was an organised action.

The offenders sprayed Jewish symbols such as the Star of David over some of the graves, but detectives believe that this may have been a bid to disguise the motives of extremists driven by a hatred of Muslim immigrants. >>> Bojan Pancevski | September 29, 2008

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