No other party in Austria hypes anti-queer sentiment as aggressively as the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which tops nationwide polls. But now the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office stepped in. It sought to initiate an investigation into FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl over suspicions of incitement. Accordingly, the prosecutor asked the Austrian Parliament for consent to pursue Kickl for a potential criminal offense. Kickl is a member of parliament, and therefore can be extradited only with Parliament’s approval.
According to the daily newspaper Standard, the judicial probe centers on remarks Kickl made at a public event on May 1, 2026, in Linz. There, Kickl said: “Millions of euros for this whole LGBT and this lobby, so that they then go into schools and spread their worldview there among our children.” Kickl has never retracted this statement. The Austrian statute on incitement to hatred explicitly protects people because of their sexual orientation from demeaning and contemptuous treatment. A conviction could carry a prison sentence of up to three years.
No votes against from SPÖ, Greens and Neos
The Vienna prosecutor’s letter landed with the Immunity Committee of the Austrian Parliament. The committee handles requests from authorities such as prosecutors or a federal police directorate for consent to pursue elected representatives.
The committee includes politicians from all parties represented in Parliament. Even queer-friendly parties like the Social Democratic SPÖ, the Greens, and the Neos have a say there. According to the Parliament, the Immunity Committee voted unanimously to recommend to the National Council that Kickl should not be extradited. And that is what happened in the end. On Thursday evening, the National Council voted against lifting Kickl’s political immunity.
The unanimous result in the Immunity Committee is surprising. Because the SPÖ, Greens, and Neos members on the committee could have voted in favor of Kickl’s extradition. The committee’s reasoning for the unanimous decision stated that there is a connection between the alleged criminal act and Kickl’s political activity. Therefore, the committee was against pursuing Kickl criminally.
Fatal consequences for the queer community
The fallout of this decision for the queer community could be disastrous. It effectively signals that parliamentarians can, in the course of their political duties, denigrate queer people without facing legal consequences. It is expected that hate speech against queer people by the far-right FPÖ will continue to rise as a result.
From a queer perspective, it is incomprehensible why no one from queer-friendly parties such as the SPÖ, Greens, or Neos voted in favor of Kickl’s extradition. The decision is seen as a societal breach and could trigger a chain reaction. Lawmakers might feel emboldened to incite not only against the queer community but against other groups as well in the name of politics.
Other FPÖ politicians are also being shielded
Earlier, FPÖ politicians in Austria were shielded by regional parliaments as well. For instance, Upper Austria FPÖ deputy Michael Huber appeared in a queer-hostile video in which a rainbow flag was tossed into the trash (TheColu.mn reported). Critics from SPÖ, the liberal Neos, and the Greens condemned the video. SPÖ Equality Spokesman Mario Lindner expressed disbelief at the hateful display: “This has to stop—truly stop—by the FPÖ, with this unacceptable candidate who uses hatred as a campaign tool.”
The FPÖ politician Gruber was reported. The Linz Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation on suspicion of incitement. Yet the regional parliamentary committee voted, with the majority of ÖVP, FPÖ, and the anti‑vaccination splinter party MFG, against lifting the politician’s immunity (TheColu.mn reported).
Gruber later called for a ban on Pride events in Austria. He argued that CSDs are an “exceptional state that I do not want anywhere.” He also declared, “It’s not normal that such things are celebrated publicly and displayed—and that they are done in front of children.”
FPÖ remains the number one party
In Austria, the anti-queer FPÖ rose to become the leading party in the last parliamentary elections and has continued to gain in polls since. At the end of June, the FPÖ celebrated its party anniversary at the Hofburg in Vienna and at Stephansplatz. Guests included AfD leader Alice Weidel, former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and other representatives from European conservative parties. Weidel said she was “proud to be in Vienna” with the FPÖ’s “People’s Chancellor” and leader Herbert Kickl. She felt “at home” in the FPÖ and appreciated “the positive energy” there.
The FPÖ is pushing for a constitutional amendment that would restrict Austria to only two genders. At a gathering, Kickl declared: “The left attacks the family by saying: ‘No, biology doesn’t count. Two genders, that’s nonsense. We need five, six. And I’ve already seen versions up to 27. And in Germany you can currently choose your gender every year and have it entered in your documents, depending on how you feel.”
