As the election campaign began, the SOS Mitmensch organisation and the FPÖ hurled accusations at each other over the weekend. First, the human rights organisation published a dossier in which it claimed to have demonstrated more than 200 points of connection between the FPÖ and right-wing extremist scenes in Austria and Germany. In fact, many of the incidents mentioned are known and have been published on social media by FPÖ politicians themselves.
Alexander Pollak, spokesman for SOS Mitmensch, writes in a press release: “The frightening result of our survey is that the extent to which the FPÖ is anchored in the right-wing extremist spectrum exceeds anything that has previously existed in Austria in terms of party-political radicalization.”
At least 45 active or former FPÖ politicians have made joint appearances with right-wing extremists in the past ten years, 22 active or former Freedom Party members have financed advertisements in media from the right-wing extremist spectrum, and contributions they have written themselves have also been counted in such media. Membership in fraternity associations that are associated with the right-wing extremist spectrum is also mentioned.
In his reaction, FPÖ Secretary General Christian Hafenecker denied that there were any right-wing extremist fraternities. Hafenecker described the paper as a “pseudo-study”. For the FPÖ Secretary General, the dossier is nothing more than a “copie of ignored press releases from the last ten years”. The “left-wing NGO” is trying to put the Freedom Party in the right-wing extremist corner and warn once morest it. The FPÖ is instead “in the middle of society”, said Hafenecker. “None of this is right-wing extremist.” Attempts are being made to brand patriotic forces as right-wing extremists in order to scare people. This fear is completely unfounded, said Hafenecker.
This in turn prompted SOS Mitmensch to react once more: Regarding the copied press releases, Pollak said: This is demonstrably false. The dossier meticulously documents more than 200 right-wing extremist facts and incidents. Some incidents also concern Hafenecker himself, such as his appearance with Götz Kubitschek, who is classified as right-wing extremist by the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
In a video statement on Facebook, Hafenecker defended the “Identitarians,” according to SOS Mitmensch. In a new reaction, the NGO clarified that the “Identitarians” were classified as right-wing extremists by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
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