Opposition shocked

“To the meadow of blood”: uproar over inaugural speech

The town hall in Mattersburg was the scene of a heated municipal council meeting, which resulted in a hefty choice of words.

(Bild: P. Huber)

The new deputy mayor of Mattersburg did not make a good impression on the opposition when he made his debut. Now an apology is being demanded for a statement.

How far are exaggerated statements allowed in politics and when is the line crossed? If the ÖVP and FPÖ in Mattersburg have their way, then the new SPÖ Deputy Mayor Thomas Nikles overstepped the mark when he made his debut on the local council. In his inaugural speech to the opposition, he spoke of a "meadow of blood". The ÖVP and FPÖ were shocked.

"In the wrong movie"
"I thought I was in the wrong movie," says FPÖ local councillor Peter Pregl. Even if the comment was meant to be exaggerated, such a statement should not be made in this role. ÖVP councillor Thomas Haffer is also irritated: "I was speechless. We have always had heated discussions in the municipal council, but I have never experienced anything like this." There can always be a slip of the tongue, but Nikles should apologize for it, says Haffer.

Polemical ÖVP postings
The deputy mayor cannot understand the uproar. Although the expression was "crude", it was made clear at the meeting how it was meant. The background to this was that the ÖVP had made very polemical postings on social media in the past, some of which contained false accusations. Among other things, it had been claimed that a new supermarket on the outskirts of the town would "execute" the town center. The ÖVP is therefore not squeamish in its choice of words.

Ready to fight
In his inaugural speech, he therefore called on the opposition to work together constructively. At the same time, however, he made it clear that they would fight back if the opposition dragged them onto the "blood meadow". What he meant was that they would take up the political fight if the opposition sought a dispute. There will be no apology, but Nikles does not want to use the same tone in future.