A Dangerous Precedent Regarding Speech

https://consortiumnews.com/2025/02/07/medhurst-detained-by-austrian-police-accused-of-being-hamas-member-uk-investigation-against-him-extended/

Though this story dates from February it is still relevant and still a source of concern. Increasingly Western governments are equating anti-Israel and anti-Zionist speech with being pro-Hamas and tantamount to expressing support for that democratically elected political organisation.

Lausanne Movement Antics in Austria

https://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/25053/austrian-evangelicals-invite-politicians-to-church-our-faith-is-not-an-import

The fact that these Evangelicals in Austria are reaching out to politicians did not particularly surprise me – but it does concern me.

The Habsburg Way of Lying

https://taylormarshall.com/2023/04/981-habsburg-way-interview-eduard-habsburg-dr-taylor-marshall-podcast.html

Listening to Taylor Marshall interview Eduard Habsburg I was struck by many things. In many respects the interview was a waste of time as it had nothing to do with the Christianity of Scripture but was instead an attempt to create an amalgam – to join modern Catholic Integralism (with Throne and Altar Ideology) with modern Liberalism and its democratic regime of rights, the individual and capitalist economics. It doesn't work and the contradictions were on display during this interview – for those paying attention.

Croatia Rewarded: LNG Deals and Schengen Membership

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/austria-croatia-bavaria-team-up-for-adriatic-lng-project/

Croatia was quick to sign up to America's suggestion of creating an LNG infrastructure, and now in this new deal with Austria and Bavaria, that capacity is set to double. Croatia is set to become an energy hub for southern and central Europe as LNG can be brought in via the Adriatic.

Austrian Intelligence and the Rise of the Right

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-attack-mosques/austria-admits-intolerable-mistakes-in-checks-on-vienna-attacker-idUSKBN27M1J8

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-austria-attack-mosques/austria-orders-closure-of-radical-mosques-news-agency-apa-says-idUKKBN27M1J4

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/11/austria-to-introduce-preventive-detention-after-deadly-attack

The Austrian government had intelligence from Slovakia that the gunman was acting suspiciously and there were indications that he might be planning some sort of attack. And it should be to no one's surprise that Berlin was also aware of him.

South Tyrol: A Chink in the EU's Armour

https://www.thelocal.it/20181018/italy-and-austria-at-odds-over-south-tyrol-dual-citizenship

The region of South Tyrol doesn't normally make it into the news. An alpine wonderland, for most it's just part of northern Italy and yet its story is far more complicated. It's actually one of the dozens of potential 'trouble spots' within Europe that retain the possibility of future political turmoil and unrest. South Tyrol isn't a 'hot spot' like Kosovo or even as contentious as Transylvania, Ulster or Catalonia but it still has the potential to generate trouble. The EU was supposed to eliminate these tensions, to bring these cycles of history to an end and yet history just won't go away. And as Brussels weakens, history is rearing its head.

The EU, Nationalism and Censorship

Politico reports that European Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova has given a speech in Vienna in which she discussed the problem of rising nationalism.

The First Shot: Brussels vs. ÖVP Austria

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/900958/Juncker-Mina-Andreeva-EU-Austria-child-benefits-Visegrad

The ÖVP has introduced its first attempt at nationalist legislation. They're not the first to do so, but others have backed down. The Austrian Right is trying to keep Austrian money within Austria which of course undermines the larger EU project and the authority of Brussels.

Religious Symbols in Austria

http://www.euractiv.com/section/languages-culture/news/austrias-planned-full-face-veil-ban-provokes-debate-on-crucifixes-in-schools/

It is noteworthy to consider how the European Right focuses less on a specific Christian narrative and instead casts Christianity in terms of the overall Western 'intellectual' heritage. The Christianity they wish to preserve is the synthesis that occurred in the 18^th and 19^th century when orthodox forms of Latin Christianity (both Roman and Protestant) underwent a transformation and were blended with Enlightenment epistemology and ultimately classically Liberal values.

The European Right: Fascism, Islam and Israel

http://www.dailysabah.com/islamophobia/2017/01/14/austrian-far-right-calls-for-law-banning-fascistic-islam-muslim-symbols

Fascistic Islam... that's rather interesting coming from the head of Austria's FPÖ. The Far-Right Freedom Party of Austria was founded (at least in part) by Anton Reinthaller an ex-Nazi official.

Italy: Shaken by Earthquakes both geological and political

2016: It's a year of earthquakes in Italy. Earlier this year, several villages crumbled into the dust, broken by the force of the earth. Today, Italy's political order has been shaken and its Establishment finds itself under a cloud of uncertainty and threat.

European Nationalism and NATO

https://www.euractiv.com/section/security/news/divided-austria-unites-in-opposition-to-eu-army/

The issue of creating an EU Army command is dividing the nationalists of Europe. On the one hand it affords an opportunity to break free of NATO and US dominance, or more properly can initiate a process toward that end. No one is suggesting that NATO is going to just go away. It is already becoming apparent through the Trump's cabinet picks that an Anti-NATO or Anti-Atlanticist doctrine is not going to govern his administration.

Another Far Right Almost-Victory... This time in Austria

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36362505

Even though the Right-wing candidate Norbert Hofer of the FPÖ finally conceded, once again the fact that these parties are coming so close to power and are gaining in popularity indicates there's a growing wave of sentiment with their positions and ideology.