The heels flew low in Friday’s special session of the National Council. First, NEOS MP Helmut Brandstätter caused the meeting to be interrupted with his Hitler-Kickl comparison. A little later, there was a violent dispute between Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) and the second President of the National Council, Doris Bures (SPÖ).
The head of the Greens had found “perverted Putin propaganda” in the FPÖ, which the current president did not consider appropriate.
Bures to Kogler: ‘That will probably also come to mind’
„We also need to treat different opinions with respect. The same counts for you. That will probably go into your head too,” Bures warned the Greens boss.
When Kogler did not distance himself from the statement, but repeated it de facto, Bures gave him a kind of lecture from a parliamentary point of view, which did not really slow down the vice-chancellor and former MP: “I will not be forbidden to speak.” Kogler received a call not to order his choice of words.
Focus on neutrality
Neutrality played a central role during the special session marking the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the NEOS, which had obtained the plenary, promoted a departure from the previous Austrian position, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), SPÖ chair Pamela Rendi-Wagner and FPÖ chair Herbert Kickl pushed for neutrality.
Maurer: “What is the Kickl-FPÖ doing? It applauds Putin!”
There was criticism of Kickl, who saw responsibility for the war on “both sides”. Kickl represents the interests of the Kremlin in the Austrian parliament, said Green Club chairman Sigrid Maurer. The reason for the inflation is not the sanctions, but the war. According to Maurer, the responsibility for the fact that people in Austria suffer from this lies with Putin. “What is the Kickl-FPÖ doing? It applauds Putin!” said Reinhold Lopatka, for whom the chairman of the PVV is “Putin’s extended arm”.
After the hearing was adjourned, calls to order finally emerged, including Brandstätter, who compared Kickl’s argument to Hitler, and Lopatka, who compared it to Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov. Kickl received one for an insulting statement.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
