“Remigration” and Kickl’s distancing from the Identitarians: FPÖ deputy leader Svazek on “Das Gespräch”

How should democrats deal with right-wing parties? That question dominated Sunday evening’s edition of ORF 2’s “Das Gespräch,” where the debate ranged from coalition-building to the FPÖ’s relationship with the Identitarian Movement.

The discussion comes after the AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt, but the Austrian implications were clear. ÖVP parliamentary leader Ernst Gödl said he regards both the AfD and the FPÖ as security risks. Columnist Rosemarie Schwaiger went further, arguing that the firewall against right-wing parties has failed.

FPÖ deputy leader Marlene Svazek, however, began by drawing a line around the debate. She said she does not consider Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, to be “extreme.” The programme also examined how Svazek views the Identitarian Movement and its connections to the FPÖ.

Rosemarie Schwaiger, Ernst Gödl, Marlene Svazek and Stefan Kaineder took part in the discussion with host Susanne Schnabl. The central question remained whether right-wing parties should be excluded from cooperation or included in coalitions.

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extreme