On January 9, 2025, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Vienna to protest against the rise of the far-right in Austria, as Herbert Kickl’s Freedom Party (FPÖ), founded by former Nazis in the 1950s, began negotiations to form a coalition government with conservatives.
The FPÖ, which could access the chancellorship for the first time since the end of World War II, deeply worries a large part of the population, particularly due to its Islamophobic and racist positions.
The protesters expressed their fear of an authoritarian and fascist drift, with some drawing parallels to the situation in Hungary under Viktor Orbán. They denounce a political program that they consider a threat to human rights and democracy, and particularly fear a rise in hatred and intolerance towards minorities, including Muslims, within the European Union.
The demonstration gathered nearly 25,000 people according to the police, chanting slogans against fascism and for the defense of fundamental rights. Similar gatherings took place in other Austrian cities, as the FPÖ.
