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    Austria: 'Space for peace' - MPs noticeably absent from chamber following walkout ahead of Zelensky address02:58

    Austria: 'Space for peace' - MPs noticeably absent from chamber following walkout ahead of Zelensky address

    Austria, Vienna
    PoliticsRussia-Ukraine conflict
    March 31, 2023 at 17:09 GMT +00:00 · Published

    A number of Austrian MPs were noticeably absent from the parliament in Vienna on Thursday after a group of more than 20 staged a walkout ahead of a video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

    Footage shows spaces left in seats around the chamber where the lawmakers from the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO, a right-wing populist organisation, had left cardboard signs reading 'Space for Peace' or 'Space for Neutrality'.

    Zelensky thanked the country for its humanitarian aid and assistance in clearing mines, while Wolfgang Sobotka, president of the lower house, pledged further financial and humanitarian assistance.

    Austria has had 'permanent neutrality' as part of its constitution since 1955, meaning it cannot participate in foreign conflicts or be part of a military alliance.

    FPO leader Herbert Kickl released a statement on Tuesday, claiming it was 'sad' that his was the 'only party in parliament that takes our ever-lasting neutrality seriously, thereby also standing up for peace'.

    The FPO is the third largest group in the lower house, with a total of 30 members. Some of those in the left-wing Social Democrats were also reportedly absent from the chamber.

    Austria: 'Space for peace' - MPs noticeably absent from chamber following walkout ahead of Zelensky address02:58
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    Description

    A number of Austrian MPs were noticeably absent from the parliament in Vienna on Thursday after a group of more than 20 staged a walkout ahead of a video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

    Footage shows spaces left in seats around the chamber where the lawmakers from the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO, a right-wing populist organisation, had left cardboard signs reading 'Space for Peace' or 'Space for Neutrality'.

    Zelensky thanked the country for its humanitarian aid and assistance in clearing mines, while Wolfgang Sobotka, president of the lower house, pledged further financial and humanitarian assistance.

    Austria has had 'permanent neutrality' as part of its constitution since 1955, meaning it cannot participate in foreign conflicts or be part of a military alliance.

    FPO leader Herbert Kickl released a statement on Tuesday, claiming it was 'sad' that his was the 'only party in parliament that takes our ever-lasting neutrality seriously, thereby also standing up for peace'.

    The FPO is the third largest group in the lower house, with a total of 30 members. Some of those in the left-wing Social Democrats were also reportedly absent from the chamber.