FPÖ invites Heartland chief to climate debate at Vienna City Hall

The FPÖ has invited Heartland Institute president James Taylor to a debate on climate policy at Vienna City Hall, prompting criticism from the city’s Social Democrats and Greens, ORF reported. The event, titled “The price of climate communism: Who pays the bill?”, is scheduled for October 6.

According to a report by Der Standard cited by ORF, the event is being organised by the Freedom Academy Vienna, the Freedom Education Institute and the FPÖ group in the Vienna City Council. Taylor is due to appear alongside Vienna FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp, Gerald Zmuegg, financial spokesperson for Freedom Economy Vienna, and entrepreneur and political blogger Gerald Markel. The evening will be opened by Maximilian Krauss, leader of the FPÖ group in the city council.

Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig of the Social Democrats distanced himself from the event in a post on X on Tuesday. He said the city supports scientific findings on human-caused climate change and responsible climate policy, and explicitly rejects positions that dismiss climate protection as “climate communism”.

However, Ludwig said Vienna City Hall is a “house of democracy” and that city council groups are entitled to use its rooms for events.

Vienna Greens leader Peter Kraus also criticised the invitation, saying the FPÖ was bringing one of the best-known organisations associated with climate change denial into City Hall. He called it a “mockery” at a time when people are facing the effects of heat and drought, and urged Ludwig to consider whether there should be room in the building for “enemies of science”.