The head of Vienna’s Jewish community has warned of the dangers of including the far-right Freedom Party in the Austrian government, asserting that it remains xenophobic.
Oskar Deutsch wrote that even if the “nationalistic wolf puts on a … sheepskin, it changes only its appearance and not character.”
Deutsch’s weekend Facebook posting comes as the People’s Party prepares to seek a coalition partner after winning elections. The Freedom Party is seen as its most probable partner given that both parties campaigned on an anti-migrant platform.
Freedom Party head Heinz-Christian Strache has sought to reach out to voters that reject extremist messages by toning down his inflammatory rhetoric. He also has tried to move the party away from antisemitism, but it continues to attract the neo-Nazi fringe.
