Austria’s European People’s Party (EPP) carried on its tradition of gifting a grand Christmas tree to the European Parliament but the 4-meter-high fir quickly became the centre of a political prank by Austrian Green MEPs.
Inaugurated on December 4 in the presence of Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner (of the Austrian’s People’s Party ÖVP) and Austria’s new EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner (ÖVP), the tree stands proudly in the European Parliament’s lobby as Austria’s annual festive gift.
For EPP MEP Alex Bernhuber, the tree represented “a wonderful symbol of the close connection between Austria and Europe. A strong sign of community in the Advent season”.
The tradition of installing an Austrian Christmas tree in the European Parliament began 27 years ago and this year’s gesture was no different.
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The Greens, led by Austrian MEP Thomas Waitz, hung their own provocative ornaments on the EPP tree. The decorations carried a pointed message: “Jesus was a refugee”.
“Every year, the ÖVP puts up the Christmas tree in the EP, and every year we remind them of their lost Christian values,” Waitz argued on social media Bluesky on December 6.
The ornaments, he explained, serve as a critique of the EPP’s migration policies, which Greens have argued are out of step with the party’s Christian roots.
“The way they [EPP] treat refugees is not in line with Christian values and we try to remind them once again with these wonderful Christmas balls that claim that Jesus was a refugee,” Waitz said.
According to him, these Christmas balls reminded the EPP that empathy and compassion for human beings should be at the core of every political decision.
This isn’t the first time Waitz has turned Austria’s festive gesture into a platform for his message. Last year, he pulled a similar stunt, decorating the tree with ornaments that challenged the EPP’s stance on migration.
✨ Meine kleine Weihnachtstradition ✨
Die ÖVP stellt jedes Jahr den Weihnachtsbaum im EP auf und wir erinnern sie jedes Jahr an ihre verschollenen christlichen Werte.— Thomas Waitz (@thomaswaitz.bsky.social) 4 décembre 2024 à 18:12
