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Austria's Gay Fascist Riles Up the Wing Nuts

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 2, 2009 8:50 PM CST

(Newser) – When Austria's most popular Nazi-sympathizer died in a car crash last year, he left behind a grieving lover—his boyfriend, Kevin Gray writes in Details. After politician Jörg Haider's death, his PR whiz gave a tearful interview that shocked Austria. "About Jörg and me, there was more—it was broad on all levels," said Stefan Petzner. He was "the man of my life." Now the far-right party they helped revive is kicking Petzner to the curb.

Horrified by Petzner's talk of homosexuality, the far-right BZÖ party stripped him of his leadership. So Petzner keeps mostly to himself: "It is very dangerous for me to talk," he admitted. But he recently dared to attend to a BZÖ celebration and flirted with the notion of running for office—a notion others scoff at. "He was merely the instrument of a narcissistic, larger personality," said one analyst. Counters Petzner: Running for office "takes charisma. I have some amount."

In this Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008 file photo, top candidate of the Alliance for the Future of Austria, BZOE, Joerg Haider, center, leader of the election campaign Stefan Petzner, right, and candidate Peter Westenthaler, left.
In this Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008 file photo, top candidate of the Alliance for the Future of Austria, BZOE, Joerg Haider, center, leader of the election campaign Stefan Petzner, right, and candidate Peter...   (AP Photo/Lilli Strauss, file)
In this Oct. 11, 2008 file picture, the wreckage of far-right politician Joerg Haider's car is seen near Klagenfurt, Austria.
In this Oct. 11, 2008 file picture, the wreckage of far-right politician Joerg Haider's car is seen near Klagenfurt, Austria.   (AP Photo/Gert Eggenberger)
Gerhard Doerfler, Uwe Scheuch, Stefan Petzner and Harald Dobernig of Austrian far-right party (BZOE) attend the mouring service of Joerg Haider on October 16, 2008 in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Gerhard Doerfler, Uwe Scheuch, Stefan Petzner and Harald Dobernig of Austrian far-right party (BZOE) attend the mouring service of Joerg Haider on October 16, 2008 in Klagenfurt, Austria.   (Getty Images)
In this Sept. 28, 2008 file photo Joerg Haider and Stefan Petzner appear in Vienna.
In this Sept. 28, 2008 file photo Joerg Haider and Stefan Petzner appear in Vienna.   (AP Photo/Lilli Strauss, file)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 7 comments
Shannonals
Mar 3, 2009 2:34 AM CST
A gay Nazi-sympathizer whose not in the prison system?
Forderon
Mar 3, 2009 2:20 AM CST
Republicans and their constituency of Jesus freaks pretend to be the moral compass and authority of American. And yet they are the most frequent violators of their Bible, the Constitution, white collar crimes, pedophilia, and the "crime" of homosexuality. Hypocrisy on the right win?? What's new?
Forderon
Mar 3, 2009 2:20 AM CST
right wing*

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