May Day in Vienna: Unity and Political Challenges at the SPÖ March

The federal party leader of the SPÖ, Pamela Rendi-Wagner, called for unity within the party at the May march of the SPÖ in Vienna on Monday. In order to be strong, one must be united, she referred to the ongoing presidency debate. However, an end is in sight here, she emphasized in her speech in front of the Vienna City Hall. “The time for internal self-employment will soon be over.” After that, one could again oppose the political competitors.

Because this is the actual task of the SPÖ, she clarified. “We have to be strong, we have to be stronger.” Unity is the prerequisite for “gaining people’s trust back”. “It must be the goal that this country finally gets a social-democratic government again.” It is important to prevent a new edition of black and blue in the federal government, said Rendi-Wagner. She again rejected a coalition with the FPÖ.

“We are the many, we are stronger and we are unbeatable,” she said confidently. There are enough problems that need to be addressed – such as the “terrible rise in prices” or the “calls for help from the hospitals”. A gas price cap or a rent brake were used early on. The federal government did not hear them, but instead only “distributed billions in alms” “in the hope that their poll numbers will improve”.

Rendi-Wagner railed against a possible weakening of the protection against dismissal and against considerations of reducing social benefits for part-time workers. She promised that a “huge stop sign” would be put up together with the union to respond to such government proposals. “The wages are in the best hands with the unions, they are in safe hands,” and that shouldn’t change either, she probably told her opponent Hans Peter Doskozil, who advertises a nationwide minimum wage of 2,000 euros net.

The SPÖ leader also warned that the ÖVP always chose the FPÖ as the “cheapest stirrup holder”. This happened in Lower Austria, for example. In Salzburg there is still a chance that the ÖVP will approach the SPÖ and forge a “coalition of decency and reason”. At the federal level, too, it is important to counteract “agitation, lies and chauvinism”. She doesn’t want to curry favor with the FPÖ “not even with a wink”: “I don’t want this party to lead the country.”

Vienna’s SPÖ boss Michael Ludwig initially shot at the federal government: Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) argued that a “gas price cap helps Vienna in particular, a rental price cap helps Vienna in particular”. First of all, that’s not true and, secondly, it shows the “state of mind” of the federal government. They will stay tuned, assured Ludwig, who also referred to the measures taken in Vienna. He also promoted the Vienna way when it came to climate protection and accused the turquoise-green coalition of not even bringing together a climate protection law.

Ludwig referred to the quick help for people who had to flee from the Russian attack in Ukraine, and also called on the federal government to step up its efforts against regimes such as in Iran or Afghanistan, where women’s rights are disregarded. However, he did not directly address the internal party conflicts. But there was support for Rendi-Wagner: he hoped that soon after the next National Council election, the first Social Democratic Chancellor would be in Austria, he said.

He also unequivocally formulated his aversion to the FPÖ. He referred to the “reprehensible” statements by the Lower Austrian FPÖ politician Gottfried Waldhäusl, who threw “capable, clever, well-integrated girls” in the face, saying that if they weren’t there, Vienna would still be Vienna. “That is politically and humanly reprehensible. We will not enter into a coalition with such a party in Vienna, and I can promise you, not even at federal level.”

The fact that something happened to him after his speech, which happens again and again thanks to the fact that he has the same first name, caused merriment on the town hall square: Ludwig was dismissed as “Mayor Michael Häupl”. He took it with humor. “I still know who is meant,” he assured.

The Viennese SPÖ women’s chairwoman Marina Hanke identified “unbearable conditions” in the country. Children don’t have enough to eat, and many people can no longer afford to rent. The ÖVP tries to distract from problems, for example by insulting hard-working market stallholders, as the Viennese ÖVP boss Karl Mahrer did. He recently targeted merchants with non-Austrian origins, for example at Brunnenmarkt or Viktor-Adler-Markt, causing astonishment and mockery – because allegedly ÖVP officials were interviewed as “passers-by”.

Hanke found it understandable that Mahrer had a problem with “youth gangs”. Apparently he has a problem with his own youth gang, such as ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz or the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance, Thomas Schmid. “But we mustn’t ridicule such actions either. Because they prepare the ground for more,” warned Hanke. Recently, for example, at a children’s book reading with a drag queen, people marched up and showed the Hitler salute.

ÖGB President Wolfgang Katzian responded to statements by Finance Minister Brunner to pay more attention to the “budget path”. A savings package is out of the question for Katzian, as he clarified. If such a thing is planned to be done on the backs of the employees, he says: “Hash over the houses”, that will definitely not work. It was the welfare state that led everyone through the Corona years. The market, on the other hand, “crept in”.

Don’t let the welfare state collapse. “And if the finance minister needs a Marie, he should get it where it is.” Large fortunes and inheritances would have to make a contribution, Katzian demanded. Inflation has long since arrived in the middle of society. However, the government has limited itself to one-off payments. “The downside isn’t in the word payment, the downside is in the word ‘once'”. Because prices would remain high, inflation-dampening measures were necessary.

At the May rally of the SPÖ, the delegations from the districts marched in a star march to the town hall square, where the final rally took place in the morning. The picture on the Ringstrasse was not very different from that of previous years. The delegations drew attention to their concerns with banners and placards, drums were played, music was played and flags were waved. In any case, the weather gods were kind to the Viennese Reds. The event was able to take place in fantastic spring weather.

The motto of the traditional red rally on Vienna’s Rathausplatz was “Strong. Stronger. Together”. It was important to show unity for a united social democracy, as was emphasized in advance. The various slogans on the banners addressed very different concerns. But the internal quarrels were not spared either. It turned out that party leader Rendi-Wagner should by no means only have fans in the audience.

Trade unionists campaigned for “party democracy and Andi Babler”. A banner from a youth organization also brought a mention to the national director, Christian Deutsch, although not in a particularly friendly manner: “No compulsory German in schools and on Löwelstrasse,” was demanded.

Rendi-Wagner received a lot of applause for her speech, but there were also – remotely – some whistles to be heard. Whether they came from the ranks of the delegations or from other proponents remained open. Left-wing activists who took part in a demonstration with the KPÖ were also on the Ring in the morning. In any case, the situation was not comparable to 2016. At that time, SPÖ leader and Chancellor Werner Faymann was booed at Rathausplatz, and he resigned a little later.

The opponents of the party leaders were also in action today, but not in Vienna: The Burgenland governor Doskozil is taking part in an event in Kobersdorf in central Burgenland. Among other things, competitor Andreas Babler gave the speech at the May Day celebrations in Krems-Lerchenfeld. Later he will also perform in his hometown of Traiskirchen.