Last week I posted about Joerg Haider, a closeted, far-right Austrian politician who died in a fiery car accident hours after being seen at a gay bar.
The story has developed: “Stefan Petzner, 27, recently replaced Haider as the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Austria, and has appeared in public crying since his death. He admitted on an Austrian radio show that he was the deceased politician's longstanding lover, the Independent reported. Petzner admitted a ‘magnetic attraction' when he met Haider five years ago while working as a reporter. ‘We had a relationship that went far beyond friendship,' the Independent quoted Petzner as saying during the emotional interview. ‘Joerg and I were connected by something truly special. He was the man of my life.' He said that he rushed to Haider's side when he heard of the 52-year-old politician's car crash. Petzner insisted Haider's widow, Claudia, was aware of their relationship and did not object. Party officials were reeling Wednesday, trying to limit political damage by canceling Petzner's upcoming interviews and trying to prevent his radio interview from being rebroadcast.”
According to the AP, “Haider sought to distance himself from his rightist past, which included a comment in 1991 that the Third Reich had an ‘orderly employment policy' and a 1995 reference to concentration camps as ‘the punishment camps of National Socialism.'”
Previously
Right-wing Austrian Politico Visited Gay Bar Before Fatal Car Crash [tr]
