Austrian prosecutor seeks to lift far-right leader Kickl’s immunity over insult

BRUSSELS

The Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested the lifting of parliamentary immunity for Herbert Kickl, head of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), to pursue a defamation case over a recent public insult, local media reported Thursday.

The move follows a speech by Kickl on May 1 during an event in Linz-Urfahr, where he referred to Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler — who also leads the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPO) — as a “left-wing tick,” according to Austrian broadcaster ORF.

Austrian press outlets said the prosecutor’s office is seeking to charge Kickl with defamation.

In response, FPO General Secretary Christian Hafenecker criticized the request, accusing prosecutors of bias and defending Kickl’s remarks. He said Babler “usually takes very strong digs at the FPO.”

Hafenecker described the legal action as an “unprecedented incident,” and said it reflected Babler’s “helplessness.”