A far right party with Nazi roots is on the brink of power in Austria
NBCSEP 2024
Austria: Freedom Party Invited to Coalition Talks
Above: Herbert Kickl at the President's office on Jan. 6, 2025, in Vienna, Austria. Image copyright: Thomas Kronsteiner/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Right narrative
The OVP has finally been forced to give the people what they voted for: a conservative government that will end immigration and prioritize the Austrian people over migrant populations. As the election and subsequent polling show, voters don't see remigration as a scandalous idea, but actively vote in favor of it. The FPO is the party that will get things done.
Left narrative
The only people excited about these developments are Nazi sympathizers and Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin. The platform of the FPO — a party with roots dating back to former Nazis in the 1950s — continues to share values with its founding members, such as racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia. The group would also cozy up to authoritarian regimes like Russia if it were to take power. Hopefully, voters will realize this and kick the FPO out of office.