Skip to main content

Miriam Haselbacher and Ursula Reeger, Vienna 7 June 2024

Foto 1: Announcement of the election campaign event at Viktor-Adler-Markt, displayed all across the city. Herbert Kickl is the party lead, Harald Vilimsky the FPÖ’s candidate for the EU election. The slogan reads “Free, safe, neutral” (Frei, sicher, neutral). At the bottom, they offer a taylor free of charge who will be present at the event and offer her services, claiming that she will only work on clean clothes

On June 7, we return to Viktor-Adler-Markt in Favoriten and it offers a quite different picture compared to our first visit. On this day, the right-wing FPÖ is holding its closing event for the EU-election campaign here, as the venue is their preferred space for such large rallies (see Foto 1). Just as pointed out in the previous blog post, the area where it takes place, the 10th district in Vienna, Favoriten, is a symbolically charged urban area. It is an old working-class district with a very high share of migrants that is frequently politicized in public discourse, being framed as inherently dangerous and insecure.

Foto 2:The stage next to Viktor-Adler-Markt

The FPÖ has set up a stage across the shopping street Favoritenstraße next to Viktor-Adler-Markt (see Foto 2). There is loud music from a band that is meant to create a good atmosphere in the run-up to the appearance of major party officials. Many of those present in the crowd appear to be “usual suspects”, loyal party supporters of the FPÖ, people from different walks of life. The area in front of the stage is cordoned off by barriers and access is guarded by security staff. Around the venue, there is lots of police and private securities.

We position ourselves outside the inner circle in front of the stage and stand next to a market booth with a good overview of the scenery. Next to us is a group of social workers who is also watching, next to party sympathizers and people who are passing by. Roughly 200 metres away from the stage, a small left-wing counter-demonstration has positioned itself (see Foto 3). During the event, some young people from the demonstration come closer and stand just outside the closed off area holding up small signs saying i. a. “Nazis out”. They are yelled at and security guards try to make them move but the police let’s them stay.

Foto 3: Counter-demonstration with slogans like “No Nazi meeting point in our neighbourhood” (Kein Nazitreff in unserem Grätzl)

Starting off the event, Herbert Kickl brings “good news for all patriots who care about their nation and bad news for the political system that wants to continue to rule against the people”. His speech repeatedly refers to the “blue family” and the “family Austria”, thus conveying a sense of belonging to his party supporters and that he will take care of their concerns as “People’s Chancellor” (a term i.a. used by National Socialists referring to Adolf Hitler).

Harald Vilimsky, FPÖ’s top candidate for the EU election, kicks off his speech by explaining that he grew up in Favoriten. Getting more and more territorial, he refers to Favoriten at that time as “still our district”, making negative claims about immigration he promises to “reclaim this district step by step”. He is also happy that there is a left-wing counter-demonstration in the background, which (from his perspective) will aid the party’s campaign. In addition, he sends his regards to “the German lying press” (Lügenpresse), namely the ZDF (public television in Germany), which has also found its way to Favoriten proving the “manipulative interests of public media”. His central claims include “getting back our Austria” and “getting back our democracy”.

On election day, FPÖ wins in a tight race with 25.4%, followed by the conservative ÖVP (24.5%) and the social-democratic SPÖ (23.2%).

Leave a Reply

Translate »
Skip to content