Van der Bellen Lends His Voice to Kickl’s Freedom Party

Beneath the inscription "Austria is a democratic republic", the president delivered what the Freedom Party has never quite managed to commission: a testimonial.

Freedom, he said, and equality with it.

Peace among neighbours.

Shelter from arbitrariness.

The liberty and variety of opinion, the separation of powers, the rights of man and of minorities.

All of it, he assured the room, is bound fast to the constitution.

He forgot the eternal neutrality clause.

Herbert Kickl - the leader of The Freedom Party, could have asked for no kinder phrasing.

A Green president had just described the goods, and named the first of them freedom.

He went further.

As dear and precious as the homeland is to us, so dear and precious must the constitution be.

It asks more than the loyalty of those already seated. It asks broad acceptance. In the trade this is called a call to action. In politics it is called printing the other side’s leaflet on the presidential letterhead.

Whoever takes part in democracy becomes a guardian of the constitution, of freedom, of the way of life, and of the homeland.

Female guardians and male guardians. He forgot the other X genders.

Rejoice, Austrians, and vote for FREEDOM!

Hopefully soon.