VIENNA . The first thing that greets me when I landed in Vienna’s Norbert Hofer friendly, smiling face from an election poster with the text “Reason Meeting”.
When I few hours later, listening to his final election speech voice is calm and soft . Anything other than agitational.
Is the presidential candidate of the new era of extreme right?
When he speaks, there is none of the aggressive rhetoric that usually characterizes politicians on the outer edges. The message is the same, but he is especially so with an almost friendly tone. Like when he talks about the refugees.
– You pulling the wars of the Islamic State, or rape women, you can not stay in the East-kingdom. We distinguish between those who want to build up the country along with us and those who want to destroy.
cheers and applause can be heard from the audience at Viktor-Adler Markt.
The small stage is wedged in the middle at an intersection on the pedestrian which gives the feeling of congestion and crowded. Scores of police officers in place to stop any counter-demonstrations.
A few weeks ago won Hofer far the first round of the presidential election. Today, the candidate from the right-wing populist FPÖ go all the way and become the country’s president. The first extreme right to be elected to that position in a Western country since World War II.
This clears the quiet
Dressed in a gray suit, but a light blue shirt and a pink handkerchief sticking up from his jacket pocket, Hofer said that his main challenge will be to combat unemployment.
– We have half a million unemployed in Austria. Unless the labor market to create jobs for those who are already here, we have to honestly say that we can not open the borders. Those who are now forced to live on welfare. It’s not right.
After Hofer takes FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache scene. This clears the quiet and almost nuanced. It’s as if the good-natured police are replaced by an evil. He talks about the “tremendous damage” that has hit Austria when a million refugees “illegally” come here.
– 90 percent of them are certainly not refugees but simply people who want to come here to get a refund. They have no right to asylum.
He does not mention that of the one million refugees, most just passed Austria, to take it to countries like Germany and Sweden. Austria took last year to 90 000 refugees. Per capita, it is second only to Sweden.
But now it stops. Just as in Sweden, the Social Democratic government in Vienna completely made over and introduced some of the hardest asylum laws in Europe. Though too late. It just seems to have convinced more Austrians that it is the FPÖ which has always been right.
“Do everything served”
The two ladies who sits down next to me on Kobbis cafe do not need much encouragement to lift out the months and years of frustration and anger over what happens in their country.
– We Austrians have been relegated to second-class citizens, says Brigitte short, henna-colored hair.
– the refugees get everything served alone, but if any of us need help from the state, we have to fight for it.
She spreads her hands on the coffee table and displays with a small circle how many who were in need of assistance. Then she makes the circle twice as large.
– Now it’s this many at the same time the state budget is not increased. Then understand all that money is not enough.
Her friend Monika in thin, purple quilted jacket, drinking a cappuccino with whipped cream. She eagerly fill in.
– Our children must not eastward rikisk food in school longer because we adapt ourselves to the refugees. They call us Nazis, but we are not Nazis. We are patriots. We want to take back our country and save our traditions before they disappear.
For security reasons, she has already postal voting for Hofer.
“Is rhetorician by profession”
on Cafe Brauhaus, one of the few classic Vienna cafes that have not been taken over by tourists, I have arranged to meet with Hans Rauscher, a columnist at the daily Der Standard. He has for many years followed the Austrian politics.
– Hofer tries to give the impression of being your nice neighbor, but he is a genuine right-wing extremist background in German nationalism, he says, while he quickly wraps his cafe melange.
– It is he who has written FPÖ’s ideological guide. He is a rhetorician by profession and uses a special technique to get his opponent out of balance. But behind his friendly facade is an iron fist. One can see that the few times he loses control.
Rauscher describes FPÖ worldview as authoritarian, “Fuhrer-oriented”, basically based on the same management style as Orban in Hungary, Russia, Putin and Erdogan in Turkey.
not only refugee issue
Until a few months ago took Rauscher and other media do not really Hofer seriously. Then came the reversal of the refugee issue.
First, the Austrians felt pity. But when the power of the people never came to an end, it turned. Not least for the atrocities in Cologne on New Years night and a number of horrific abuse in Vienna, when the 21-year-old girl was raped by three Afghan refugees on a public toilet.
But Rauscher says that not only the refugee issue behind FPÖ unexpected success.
– the two major parties, the Conservatives and the social Democrats, has for decades had a social contract with the people. Vote for us and we will give you government jobs, social housing and social welfare. The contract is no longer valid because it no longer has money to maintain the welfare state. People take out their frustration over this by voting for FPÖ.
With a quick movement he reaches over the table, take my pad and sketch quickly a map of Vienna where he pinpoints three quarters and with an arrow shows that red become blue.
– Here, people used to vote for the Social Democrats. Now they vote for the FPÖ. They feel that their welfare is being taken away from them.
Many are drunk
Viktor-Adler Markt, where the election meeting is held, is part of that area. Hardly Vienna’s most fashionable. Many of the audience are drunk and looking worn out.
– The paradox is that it is the same people living on grants, but still vote for the FPÖ, says Rauscher.
The election ends with the Austrian national anthem. Hofer and Strache comes out on stage and waving Austrian flags. The nationalist acid reaches the climax when the audience and on stage right in “Austria forever”.
Then step Hofer down and shaking hands, signing autographs and taking selfies with everyone who wants to. As in a U.S. presidential election. He listens and answers patiently.
The friendly högerpopulisten which today can be president. ANALYSIS WOLFGANG Hansson: “Soon we may be back to something resembling 1930s Europe”
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