Birthday with Blanco

Here’s How Much the FPÖ Party Cost Taxpayers

This past summer, the FPÖ, led by Chairman Herbert Kickl, celebrated its 70th anniversary right on Vienna’s Stephansplatz.(Bild: Jennifer Kapellari)

With a huge stage, celebrity guests, and pop star Roberto Blanco, the FPÖ celebrated its 70th anniversary this summer right in the middle of Vienna’s Stephansplatz. The bill for this blue-themed bash is steep—and taxpayers are footing the bill.

For its 70th anniversary on June 20, the Freedom Party really went all out—with a huge public festival on Vienna’s Stephansplatz. The celebration featured guests such as Viktor Orbán, Alice Weidel, and Geert Wilders; even pop star Roberto Blanco performed.

But now, after the big anniversary bash, the bill has arrived—and it’s a hefty one: the police operation at Stephansplatz alone cost 101,702 euros. However, it’s not the FPÖ that has to pay for this, but the taxpayer. This is evident from a response to an inquiry from Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) to the Greens.

The operation required 1,376.5 hours of overtime. Karner declined to reveal how many police officers were deployed, citing “police tactical reasons.” While 5,000 visitors were expected, an exact count was not possible due to the constant coming and going.

By comparison, the FPÖ’s campaign finale a few days later in Graz cost just under 13,000 euros—not even one-eighth of that amount. Instead of the expected 1,000 participants, only about 450 showed up.

“100,000 euros for an FPÖ birthday party is by no means reasonable” 
“Democracy comes at a cost, and that’s perfectly legitimate,” says Green Party security spokesperson Agnes Prammer. However, she adds that there must be a distinction between a party event intended to inform the public and a private anniversary celebration. Spending more than 100,000 euros and nearly 1,400 hours of overtime on an FPÖ birthday party is “by no means reasonable” given tight budgets and an overburdened police force.

Sharp criticism is also coming from the NEOS. “The ‘F’ in FPÖ clearly stands for ‘cheeky’—and for a complete lack of respect for taxpayers,” rants Secretary-General Douglas Hoyos. While people are forced to scrimp, the FPÖ is “throwing their money out the window with both hands.” For Hoyos, however, the “lavish private party right in the heart of the 1st District” also shows that “if a party can afford such a bash, party funding is clearly far too high,” and he once again emphasizes a core NEOS demand for a reduction in party funding.

Incidentally, the Freedom Party itself cannot be asked to foot the bill for the event. According to the Ministry of the Interior, no organizer’s fee may be charged for political gatherings. The costs therefore fall on the taxpayer.