Birthday with Blanco

Here’s How Much the FPÖ Party Cost Taxpayers

This 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 the ones footing the bill.

For its 70th anniversary on June 20, the Freedom Party really went all out—with a huge festival on Vienna’s Stephansplatz. The celebration featured guests like Viktor Orbán, Alice Weidel, and Geert Wilders, and 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 a parliamentary inquiry by 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 had been 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, there must be a distinction between a party event intended to inform the public and a private anniversary celebration. More than 100,000 euros and nearly 1,400 hours of overtime for an FPÖ birthday party are “by no means reasonable” given tight budgets and an overburdened police force.

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