Several thousand people gathered outside the Federal Chancellery in central Vienna on Thursday evening to protest against the prospect of a coalition government between the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the People’s Party (ÖVP).

The demonstration came nearly a week after talks to form a centrist coalition broke down, sparking a political crisis.

The rally was part of a long-standing tradition of Thursday protests against the right, which began in 2000 when the first coalition between the FPÖ and ÖVP triggered widespread public outrage and even led to unprecedented sanctions from the EU. Another coalition between the two parties, from 2017 to 2019, collapsed after a former FPÖ leader was secretly recorded offering public contracts in return for favourable media coverage.

This time, however, the ÖVP is negotiating to become the junior partner in an FPÖ-led government. If these talks succeed, it would mark the first time in modern Austrian history that the FPÖ has led a government.

At Thursday’s protest in Ballhausplatz, home to the Chancellery near the Hofburg Palace, demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Nazis out!” and “Vienna hates the FPÖ.” They also formed a human chain around the building to symbolically block FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl from becoming Chancellor.

Socialist youth groups and NGOs like Volkshilfe, Greenpeace and SOS Mitmensch turned out in large numbers to support the protest.

Many of those who spoke to The International said they were angrier at the ÖVP than the FPÖ. The ÖVP had initially ruled out working with the far-right party but changed its stance after talks with the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and NEOS collapsed last weekend.