ÖVP Calls FPÖ's Course 'State-Endangering' Amid Identitarian Links

Austria's People's Party (ÖVP) has strongly criticized the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), deeming its current trajectory "state-endangering." This condemnation follows extensive research by the Standard newspaper, which has detailed close and long-standing connections between the FPÖ and the Identitarian Movement, a group associated with far-right extremist Martin Sellner. The newspaper's findings provide concrete evidence of direct communication channels between the FPÖ's leadership and Sellner, who has maintained a close relationship with Reinhard Teufel, a parliamentary group leader and confidant of FPÖ chief Herbert Kickl, for nearly a decade. The research also indicates that Identitarians had influence within FPÖ-led ministries during the 2017-2019 Turquoise-Blue coalition government. These revelations have prompted outrage from other parliamentary factions, demanding explanations from the FPÖ, particularly from party leader Herbert Kickl.