Austrian protesters fear ‘return of fascist state’ with Kickl as next chancellor

An estimated 500 people protested against “the return of a fascist state” outside Vienna’s presidential palace on Monday, according to police, hours before the country’s president tasked far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) Leader Herbert Kickl to form a coalition government. Elderly protester Monika Salzer, who said she first took part in street protests in the late 1960s, said she knew the importance of living in a liberal democracy which respects human rights.