Kickl promotes remigration vision at Hartberg rally

About 3,500 people attended the Austrian Freedom Party’s traditional Sunday gathering at the Hartberg Oktoberfest, where party leader Herbert Kickl promoted “remigration” as part of his vision for Austria, ORF reported.

Styria Governor Mario Kunasek warned of what he called a threat from “political Islam” and said people who had a problem with “our values” should leave. He praised the Freedom Party’s state coalition partner, the Austrian People’s Party, saying the government was focused on work rather than conflict. Kunasek also urged people to vote, saying Austria could be “put back on track”.

Kickl entered to waving Austrian flags and chants of his name. He said the Freedom Party was the “real people’s party” and dismissed portrayals of himself as dangerous, arguing instead that he was a threat to those who squandered prosperity and stole the country’s home.

Kickl called the next parliamentary election a “fateful election” and said his party could win decisively if its supporters stayed united. He criticised federal government relief measures as inadequate, claiming electricity was 50 percent more expensive than a year earlier despite a price cap and that the fuel price brake was barely noticeable at petrol stations. He said Austria should become a “fortress” and Europe’s least attractive destination for asylum seekers.