The party’s main election poster portrays Ukrainians as supporters of the war waged against Ukraine by Russia.
The right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ), known for its pro-Russian positions, used an anti-Ukrainian theme in its election campaign for the European Parliament elections. In particular, he portrayed the Ukrainians, along with the European Commission, as supporters of the war. It was reported by Ukrinform.
The main election poster of the FPÖ, shared both in the party’s online information resource and in the street campaign, deals with the theme of the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine and the support of the Ukrainian people from the European Union. At the same time, not only was there no condemnation of the war unleashed by the Kremlin, but not a single mention of Russia as an aggressor.
The poster depicts Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen kissing against a backdrop of ruins and military equipment. The collage is captioned “von der Leyen and Zelensky” and “warmongering” on the side.
The FPÖ’s election poster also refers to the problems of the migration crisis, the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, hinting at the EU’s ineffectiveness in addressing them. The inscription “Stop EU madness” runs across the poster in large letters.
For election campaigning on social network X reacted Ambassador of Ukraine in Austria Vasily Khiminets, who called these manipulations unacceptable.
“The Austrian Freedom Party excessively manipulates such posters, first of all by changing the perpetrator and the victim… Totally unacceptable!” – he wrote.
The elections to the European Parliament in Austria will be held on June 9. The Austrian Freedom Party leads the electoral preferences – 26% of respondents volunteered to vote for it, according to the survey results.
The Ukrainian embassy in Austria sent an official note to the country’s Foreign Ministry, in which it condemned the approach of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) which is manipulative and shameful to cover the causes and content of Russia’s full invasion.
“The embassy… sent an official note to the Austrian Foreign Ministry in which it condemned the FPÖ’s manipulative and distorted approach covering the causes and content of Russia’s total aggression, which, in particular, is a mockery and insult the Ukrainian People and creates grounds to justify Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine, – the diplomatic mission reported.
Politicians say that the content of the poster is not anti-Ukrainian in nature, but a criticism of the inaction of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who is “not taking enough steps to promote the peace process .”
The embassy is using both diplomatic channels and public space to draw attention to the unacceptable strategy of the Austrian Freedom Party, which “aims to gain political capital based on lies and outright manipulation.”
We remind you that Austria has declared two diplomats from the Russian Federation persona non grata. The country’s Foreign Ministry made this decision after material appeared in local media about their involvement with Russian intelligence.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.