Austria’s Supreme Court has sided with FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl in his legal dispute with the association Plattform Österreich, Die Presse reported.
The case centered on a campaign video that compared Kickl to Adolf Hitler, using the term “Volkskanzler” (“People’s Chancellor”) as part of the imagery.
Plattform Österreich, led by Robert Luschnik—a former federal manager for the Greens and NEOS and now club director of the Pink Party—released the video ahead of the last national elections under the title “Do you want that? Our Austria is in danger.”
The footage juxtaposed black-and-white World War II battle scenes with the question, “Do you really want another People’s Chancellor?” before showing Kickl’s face under the caption “People’s Chancellor Project.”
The FPÖ sued, arguing the video falsely associated Kickl with Hitler, National Socialism, and World War II.
The Commercial Court initially ruled in Kickl’s favor, finding the comparison defamatory and unjustified. The Vienna Higher Regional Court upheld the decision on appeal, and in August, the Supreme Court rejected a final extraordinary appeal, cementing Kickl’s legal win.
The ruling ordered the video’s removal, publication of the verdict, and payment of €4,000 in damages. NEOS’s parliamentary group declined to comment on the outcome.
