October 11, 2008

Austrian far right leader dies in car accident

Former leader of Austria's Freedom Party, the late Jörg Haider
Austria's veteran far-right leader Jörg Haider was killed in a car accident this morning near his home town of Klagenfurt, police said.

Haider, who led the far-right into a coalition government from 2000-2006, made headlines across the world and drew international condemnation with his blunt anti-immigrant statements and for seeming to flirt with Nazi sympathies.

The 58-year-old governor of Austria's Carinthia province died after suffering major head and chest injuries when the government car he was driving went out of control and rolled down an embankment, police said. He was alone in the car. Police said they were investigating the cause of the crash.

"This is for us like the end of the world," said Haider's spokesman Stefan Petzner. He said Haider had been heading to a town near Klagenfurt in the mountainous southern province for a gathering of his family to mark his mother's 90th birthday.

Haider, a folksy character who struck a popular chord among many Austrians, headed one of two far-right parties that surged to a combined 30 percent of the vote in a parliamentary election last month, potentially redrawing Austria's political landscape. Active in politics since his teenage years in the affluent Alpine country, he became a full-time politician in 1977 for the far-right Freedom Party.

Haider caused an international backlash when he led the Freedom Party into a coalition government with the conservative People's Party in 2000, triggering widespread condemnation and temporary European Union sanctions against Austria. The deal fell apart, leading to an early election in 2002 in which the Freedom Party lost heavily, followed by a remake of the coalition.

After internecine struggles within the Freedom Party, Haider formed the breakaway Alliance for the Future of Austria in 2005. His new party became junior partner in the coalition government, while the Freedom Party left and went into opposition. But in a national election in 2006, the Alliance for the Future of Austria only just scraped past the 4 percent threshold to enter parliament.

Haider also made headlines with several verbal gaffes and by making foreign trips to see leaders such as Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi. He once reproached Austria's government by citing the "proper labour policies" of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany. On another occasion he referred to Nazi concentration camps in a parliamentary debate as "penal camps".

Born in Upper Austria, his father was a former member of Hitler's brown-shirted storm troopers. His mother was a teacher who had been a Hitler Youth leader.

Haider is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Independent

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of Nick Gri££ins old mates bites the dust. lets hope its him next.

Anonymous said...

"Austrian far right leader dies in car accident"

Good

Anonymous said...

"This is for us, like the end of the world"......

It won't be anything of the sort for Nicholas "Cyclops" Griffin, who, as we speak, will be packing his skis for an all-expenses-paid "tribute holiday" for the Australian Tyroll.

........ And maybe, if Martin Webster is around, he might pack some leiderhosen. lol

Expect Cyclops to dine on the most expensive food, and "drown his sorrows" on the most exquisite champagne, at the expense of the average bnp member, who will still continue to support Gri££in no matter how much money the ogre continues to siphon from party coffers!

Anonymous said...

Condolences to his family but not to his party and skinheaded followers! Watching their projected grief was sickening.

Now they trot out the usual guff about him being killed. My friends in Karnten tell me the local police say he was driving too fast for those roads...

Anonymous said...

I fucking pissed myself when I read this. Who wrote it? Yep, that loony Lee Barnes!

R.I.P Jorg Haider.

January 26, 1950 – October 11, 2008.

Nationalist - Patriot - Martyr.

Whether it be by fate or design, his death shall not prevent our rise.

In Memoriam For An Eagle.

Sleep now brother, let your wings rest
Upon starshine, prayers and dreams,
Your eyes that saw so far ahead,
Are now closed to the cares of this world.

Awake now, to the realm of shining hills,
Where walk our dead in eternal glory,
An eagle you were and will be again,
In steel and stone when the wind turns anew.

The flag will not fall for it will pass,
Into the hands of other heroes who come forward,
As one wave breaks, another shall rise,
For our bonds of blood cannot be broken.

Anonymous said...

North West Nationalists are blaming it on Mossad. LOL

Anonymous said...

North West Nationalists would blame it on Elvis is he had been from an ethnic minority.

Anyway, let's see how much party coffers Cyclops will lavishly waste when he makes an impromptu funeral visit (holiday) to Austria.

If Bumbrook acompanies the Swindler-In-Chief, Cyclops will have to pack two lots of Leiderhosen.

Oh, I forgot, Bumbrook says he is not gay!

Anonymous said...

North West Nationalists also believe that 911 was a put up job.

Anonymous said...

What better excuse for an all expenses paid bnp holiday visit for Griffin?

What would cost the average tourist £500 for a week (or two) would cost Griffin £5000, Griffin assuming his "party visits" are akin to a Royal Visit.

Why does the average bnp member put up with griffin's bloody-minded extravagance?

Anonymous said...

By attending the funeral, and spending a lot of money for doing so, Griffin will manage to twist it to avoid party censure.

Spending oodles of cash on an Austrian holiday, the party faithful will point out that they are going to great trouble to pay tribute to a hardliner/Hitler Worshipper, and thus please the Edmonds/NWN Brigade.

Nick Griffin can't lose!

Anonymous said...

Any chance it might be God stopping history from repeating itself in Austria?

Anonymous said...

Why does each Odinist neo-nazi tribute assume dead fascists end up in fucking Valhalla?

What's wrong with the burning fires of hell, all of a sudden? Seems far more likely for a racist scumbag who hated Jewish people, Muslims, Black people, gay people, and women.

Anonymous said...

"It won't be anything of the sort for Nicholas "Cyclops" Griffin, who, as we speak, will be packing his skis for an all-expenses-paid "tribute holiday" for the Australian Tyroll."

Where's the Australian Tyroll? I don't think skis will be much good as Australia does not get much snow.

Anyway, Haider's funeral is likely to be in Carinthia in south Austria, which is a long way from Tyrol in Austria's western "tail".

John P said...

There is nowt like waking up to good news like this. Sets you up for the rest of the day. Just a pity that it seems to be a reasonably quick death.

Anonymous said...

Was Ian Stuart Donaldson Jörg Haider's chauffeur?

Anonymous said...

when will they ever learn?
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKeS8FZ4Oqk

Anonymous said...

"Where's the Australian Tyroll? I don't think skis will be much good as Australia does not get much snow.

Anyway, Haider's funeral is likely to be in Carinthia in south Austria, which is a long way from Tyrol in Austria's western "tail"."

You're so dumb!

Carinthia borders Tyrol. Tyrol includes Innbruck. Innsbruck held a Winter Olympics. Winter Olympics = Skiing You = Moron So What?

Anonymous said...

Let's hope it's catching.

The Jewish community get there in the end.


Ask Ian Stuart!

LOL.

Anonymous said...

""Where's the Australian Tyroll? I don't think skis will be much good as Australia does not get much snow.

Anyway, Haider's funeral is likely to be in Carinthia in south Austria, which is a long way from Tyrol in Austria's western "tail"."

You're so dumb!

Carinthia borders Tyrol. Tyrol includes Innbruck. Innsbruck held a Winter Olympics. Winter Olympics = Skiing You = Moron So What?"

Who are you to call anyone dumb when you can't tell the difference between Austria and Australia?

And Carinthia does not border Tyrol. There's Salzburg Land and the separate enclave of East Tyrol in between.

Antifascist said...

Enough geography lessons, thanks.

Anonymous said...

"I fucking pissed myself when I read this."

[tripe from Barnes snipped]

Me too!

John said...

Couldn't have been a muslim in a white Fiat Uno, could it?

John said...

The real tragedy is that he didn't have 3 more racists in the car with him

Anonymous said...

Elvis was from an ethnic minority