Austrian vice-chancellor and Steve Bannon in Paris demonstrated once again that extreme-right leaders are here for the money – not for the people
The leader of extreme-right party FPÖ and vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache had to resign over the week-end after a video showed him discussing public contracts against bribes in a villa in Ibiza. This “Ibiza Gate” has also brought down the Austrian government, as the scandal made waves in the country.
It’s not clear who tried to bribe the vice-chancellor, and it looks like a trap. But the vice-chancellor did accept the idea of being paid by a Russian oligarch, and that is more than enough to make the Austrian government fall.
Worse than that, he also said his government was thinking of treating the press like Orban, by limiting its freedom; he also mentioned illegal financing of his party.
Once again, the extreme-right proves its links to Russia and its taste for money. Pretending to be nationalists, those parties are in fact ready to give up their ideology for money. They find it in Russia, because Putin use them to try to undermine the EU. It has worked pretty well as many citizen don’t realise they are fooled by these populist tricks.
“For the extreme-right, citizen are a merchandise, a way to gain money. They are selling our democracy”, MEP Pervenche Berès (S&D) stated in a communiqué.
She added that she had seen MEPs from extreme-right at the European Parliament supporting Putin and Russia constantly.
Another extreme-right leader was top of the news in France over the week-end: Steve Bannon. The activist talked to journalists for interviews, in which he promised Le Pen would soon be in power, as in Le Journal du Dimanche. He met them in one of the most exclusive Parisian hotel, the Bristol, where he had a 8000-euros a day suite.
“National Rally is the Trojan’s horse of Russia and the USA in Europe” slammed Pascal Canfin, n°2 on Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance list for European elections, on Cnews channel.
What Steve Bannon has really done during this campaign remains a mystery, but he clearly supports National Rally – and he has tons of money to do it.
The project was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this project. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the project.
Be the first to comment on "Citizen for sale"