Thousands March in Austrian Capital Against Far-Right Freedom Party

Thousands of Austrian protesters took to the streets in Vienna, the capital of the country, on Thursday, October 12, against the far-right Freedom Party and called on other political parties in Austria, especially the ruling conservatives, to prevent this party from entering the government. According to preliminary official results of the Austrian parliamentary elections held on Sunday, October 8, the far-right Freedom Party, led by Herbert Kickl, former Minister of the Interior of Austria, secured 29% of the votes, placing it at the top of the parliament. With the victory of the Freedom Party, the coalition government of Austria - the conservative People's Party and the Greens - lost its majority in the parliament, but since the Freedom Party did not obtain an absolute majority of seats, it remains unclear whether it can form a government as it requires a coalition for this purpose. Evidence suggests that only the conservative People's Party (OVP) has kept the doors open for this alliance, but far-right opponents in Austria are trying to prevent this far-right party from entering the government. Alexander Van der Bellen, the President of Austria, is set to meet with leaders of all parties that have entered the parliament starting Friday, October 13. He has already urged the parties to begin negotiations for forming a coalition government. Herbert Kickl has explicitly stated: 'We do not want asylum requests in Austria. Anyone who stops the migration of nations has prevented the entry of Islamism.' Herbert Kickl ran for election with the slogan of becoming the 'Chancellor of the People,' a title that Adolf Hitler had given himself. However, he has rejected this comparison.