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https://www.moment.at/story/sebastian-kurz-orban-thiel-kolumne-natascha-strobl/ published 05. August 2025

Sebastian Kurz is part of a fascist network around Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. This also includes the German CDU deputy Saskia Ludwig. But while Ludwig gets headwinds out of her own party, it remains surprisingly quiet in Austria. Natasha Strobl commented.

Ever heard of Mathias Corvinus Collegium? This is a fascist think tank from the forge of the Hungarian ruling party Fidesz. He does educational work in the pre-political space and, with a lot of money, invites every few months to meetings and conferences. These have hardly any scientific or intellectual aspirations, but are network meetings of a clique around the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Last week, the annual summer meeting of the Collegium took place in the northern Hungarian city of Esztergom.

It is thanks to the meticulous research of the journalist and historian Annika Brockschmidt that the public has gained insights into this year’s summer meeting. She attended the conference – and thus done a job that many established and financially strong media have been refusing for years. Annika Brockschmidt’s research shows that Hungary is currently one of the most central hubs of transnational fascism.

Two of the most prominent guests of the current meeting are now veterans of the Corvinus Collegium, since they have already attended several events. It is Peter Thiel and Sebastian Kurz. The tech billionaire and his former employee are personally part of the confidant circle of Viktor Orbán. AfD head Alice Weidel and the Brexit strategist Dominic Cummings were also present.

The topics discussed at the meeting are consistently narrow: the evil left, the evil migration, the evil EU, one really cannot say anything more.

It is remarkable that Kurz’ fascist connections in Austria are not an issue. Those who have cheered him up are now silent. The current ÖVP, whose high-ranking officials were all washed up shortly, is not questioned in the Austrian media. The coalition partners either. In the election campaign, SPÖ leader Andreas Babler had an . The political networking of the former ÖVP leader, which still has a fan base within the party, would be a good occasion for the ÖVP to work through the short era and distance itself from it. The Neos also have a not to be despised number of Peter Thiel fanboys (and on fanboys of his less intellectual version Elon Musk). Here, too, Austrian media could ask for critical questions.

Germany is different here. Like Sebastian Kurz, a member of the ÖVP sister party CDU was on site at the summer meeting: Saskia Ludwig. This now gets headwinds in your own country. Annika Brockschmidt has captured how friendly Ludwig was at the meeting with AfD boss Alice Weidel.

Ludwig already arrived in favour of a coalition with the AfD a few months ago, although there is an incompatibility decision for such cooperation in her party. She was also one of the main drivers of the campaign against the irreproachable candidate for the German Federal Constitutional Court, Mske Brosius-Gersdorf. With invented accusations of plagiarism – the stairs jokes – Ludwig himself is under urgent suspicion of having plagiarized, she is now threatened with the withdrawal of her title.

Her familiarity with the AfD leader is now becoming a problem for the CDU deputy Ludwig: her own party distances itself from her. In Germany, it is a scandal if you meet with fascists. In Austria, there is less fear of conservationism with the extreme right.

The meeting in Hungary shows how vague and permeable the borders of fascism and conservatism are. In Hungary, Austria and Germany.

Translated using Firefox’s native tools (not the best).

More info from the journalist: https://bsky.app/profile/ardenthistorian.bsky.social/post/3lvgpla7gns2u