On Thursday, a team from TV channel Puls24 was attacked during an FPÖ rally in Vienna-Favoriten. The Greens now called on “all constructive forces” to take action against this. “This violence bears the signature of Herbert Kickl,” the party even said.
It is an attack on media freedom, said Secretary General Olga Voglauer. “We are really at the point where in Austria you will get a slap in the mouth if you cover an FPÖ event (…).” The violence in the language of Kickl and his party ultimately leads to violence in actions. This “has a system.”
Voglauer recalled on Friday that ORF satirist Peter Klien had also reached an impasse at an FPÖ event and that representatives of right-wing media in the EU Parliament were said to have insulted journalists. Kickl wants to ‘drive a wedge in society, divide it, incite it’.
According to a report by Puls24, one of his teams was approached by several people on Thursday, including members of the FPÖ party youth and the far-right Identitarians. The team itself was invited by the FPÖ and tried to interview participants in the demonstration. They were allegedly insulted, pushed and had water thrown over them. FPÖ officials such as Leo Kohlbauer are said to have calmed the angry people.
FPÖ: Cameraman behaved aggressively
However, the FPÖ said the cameraman was aggressive and came within centimeters of the demonstration participants. Kickl said the cameraman had been provocative and demanded an apology.
The Viennese police wrote on Platform X that they arrived shortly after the altercation and were able to calm the situation. “The incident was reported to the Vienna public prosecutor’s office.”
Here you can see the tweets from the Vienna police on Friday.
“Citizens have the right to know what happens during festive events,” the Concordia press club said. It is good that FPÖ officials have intervened in this case. The party must now urgently stop its verbal attacks on journalists “who help provoke such attacks”.
There was also criticism from the SPÖ and the NEOS. SPÖ leader Andreas Babler said things were moving in a direction that worried him. “Friends of Putin and a free press – they don’t go together,” said Helmut Brandstätter, the Pink Party’s leading EU candidate and former editor-in-chief of the “Kurier”.
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.
