“This European parliament is probably going to be the most rightwing ever – and it will want to rip up the Green Deal,” said Lena Schilling, a 23-year-old climate activist turned Green politician, as she canvassed voters in a bougie market in central Vienna.
But even in this Green stronghold, shoppers seemed less interested in threats to democracy and climate policy than the candidate herself. A media storm has for weeks raged around Schilling on the back of newspaper reports that she spread harmful rumours – and the party’s response has thrown it deeper into turmoil right before voters head to the ballot box.
