The next day, the outcome of the FPÖ election campaign was also heatedly debated on social media at Stephansplatz in Vienna. But primarily not because of the inflammatory speech by blue frontman Herbert Kickl, but rather because of the incident during a live broadcast on TV channel Puls24 on Saturday evening.
What had happened? Christoph Isaac Krammer, reporter for TV station Puls24, and his cameraman were harassed by a PVV sympathizer on Friday evening during a live broadcast of the FPÖ election campaign – and then insulted. It all happened just before Herbert Kickl’s inflammatory speech.
“Sneak Away”
The man interrupted the reporter, covered the camera image with his hat and tried to knock the microphone out of Krammer’s hand. This was followed by expletives such as: “Du Oasch” and “Schleich di”.
Broadcaster: ‘Not the first incident of this nature’
Krammer reported that the mood in the FPÖ was aggressive. According to the broadcaster, the incident was not the first of its kind at FPÖ events.
Video from the final of the FPÖ election campaign: Kickl wants to make Haider’s dream come true
The incident has since been hotly debated on social media, with widely varying opinions.
SPÖ, Greens and NEOS strongly condemn the incident
SPÖ and NEOS strongly condemn the incident on “X”. “Full solidarity with the journalist and the cameraman,” writes the Red federal director Eva Maria Holzleitner.
“Constant agitation by the Blues”
Pink media spokeswoman Henrike Brandstötter said: the FPÖ wants to prevent this.”
Caritas president Michael Landau is also shocked
‘Reporting should be possible without bodyguards’
Another user writes: “Some of these right-wing conservative, angry and hated citizens have a clear problem with democracy. That too is part of the truth. Reporting must be possible without bodyguards, something like this cannot be tolerated.” User McAviti counters this: “Yes, freedom of the press is a valuable asset, but crying because of an insisting pensioner that reporting is not possible without ‘bodyguards’? Stay realistic. Especially because the media must then refrain from provocations, otherwise they are activists and not journalists.”
Have reporters blocked the view of wheelchair users?
There are now also many other critical tones, according to which the reporter has behaved incorrectly. Accordingly, he allegedly pushed himself into the middle of the crowd and blocked the view of the stage for some wheelchair users. A companion then became angry with the reporter. The verbal attacks were almost the logical consequence.
Other users even write about a “targeted provocation” against the FPÖ and its sympathizers.
Criticism of the broadcaster: ‘Maybe they wanted these images’
Jürgen Müller from the #AufarbeitungNow platform also takes the reporter to task: “Here too you could have a de-escalating and journalistic effect by not standing in the middle of the crowd that might be listening to the speech. But maybe these are exactly the photos you wanted.”
But almost all users agree on one thing: the FPÖ sympathizer’s choice of words (“Schleich di”, “Oasch”) definitely went too far and was inappropriate…
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.
