"Where are we?"

FPÖ contradicts itself in the election campaign finish

Wants nothing to do with right-wing extremism: Harald Vilimsky(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

In the final stages of the EU election campaign, the FPÖ is clearly trying to avoid being associated with right-wing extremism. Top candidate Harald Vilimsky lost his nerve on the street because of this. His party colleague Dagmar Belakowitsch, however, sent a different message. 

"Where are we?", an angry Harald Vilimsky wanted to know from an ORF reporter on the fringes of the Simmering street festival on Saturday. His question about the rifts among "right-wing populists and right-wing extremists in the European Parliament" apparently didn't sit well with the Freedom Party leader, as reported by krone.at.

According to ORF, the reporter was interested because the right-wing ID group, which includes the FPÖ, recently threw out the entire AfD delegation. And against the will of the Freedom Party. In short, there is a real rift among Europe's right-wing forces.

Belakowitsch had other plans
According to Vilimsky, he felt that the legitimate question labeled him a "right-wing extremist" and angrily broke off the interview. He then used an incomplete clip of the scene to stir up public opinion on social networks. His message: the FPÖ has nothing to do with the political far right.

While the blue politician for Europe on Saturday was smelling "left-wing propaganda", his party colleague Dagmar Belakowitsch sent out messages at practically the same time, which are likely to clearly contradict the concerns of her EU lead candidate.

The FPÖ politician met the controversial AfD politician Matthias Helferich, who is currently the subject of expulsion proceedings, just a few kilometers away from the Simmering street festival. He is therefore threatened with expulsion from the party that has just been kicked out of the ID parliamentary group due to an SS scandal involving its leading EU candidate. Helferich is said to have described himself as "the friendly face of the Nazis" in older chats.

According to AfD circles, the 35-year-old lawyer has been damaging the party with his behavior for some time and is "in stark contrast" to its principles. Helferich is also said to have excellent contacts with the Identitarian scene, according to German media reports.

"Exchange of ideas" with Helferich
The AfD man was a guest in Vienna on Saturday. "To exchange ideas", as Belakowitsch announced on Facebook on Saturday. "Exchanging ideas with MPs from other countries is part of everyday political life," the FPÖ politician told APA after criticizing the meeting. Helferich is, after all, a member of the German Bundestag. Belakowitsch wrote on Facebook that it is "always better to talk to each other than about each other."

Censure comes from one of Vilimsky's political rivals. Helferich is "too far-right even for the AfD", commented NEOS EU lead candidate Helmut Brandstätter on X. "Right-wing extremist Helferich" not only appeared in an "FPÖ-affiliated fraternity", but was also "proudly received by an FPÖ member of parliament", SOS Mitmensch spokesperson Alexander Pollak also reacted there.