While Austrian politicians have
been in crisis mode since a video sting led to the collapse of
the right-wing government, one song has become an unlikely
anthem: the 1999 sing-a-long party hit "We're Going to Ibiza" by
Dutch pop group Vengaboys.
The Austrian government collapsed over the weekend after
far-right Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache resigned
as vice chancellor. He had been filmed at a villa on the Spanish
Mediterranean island of Ibiza offering to fix state contracts
for favours from a woman posing as a Russian oligarch's niece.
Strache has denied breaking the law but accepted that the
video was "catastrophic". Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz, a
conservative who formed a coalition with the far right in 2017,
pulled the plug on his government and called a snap election.
Since Strache stepped down on Saturday, the far right's
political opponents have been partying to Vengaboys.
According to the website PopVortex, "We're Going to Ibiza"
is now the number 1 download on iTunes in Austria. More than
5,000 people chanted the song at the Vienna Heldenplatz central
square next to the Hofburg palace presidential residence after
Strache quit government on Saturday.
German comedian Jan Boehmermann, who knew about the Strache
video weeks before it was published and whose role in its
release has been the source of speculation in Austria, posted a
YouTube link to the song's music video on Twitter on Sunday.
The pop group expressed its joy in a reply tweet. "Wow,
Going to Ibiza is #1 in Austria," it said. "Hey @janboehm did
you make this happen?!"
Wow, Going to Ibiza is #1 in Austria #ibizavideo
Hey @janboehm Did you make this happen?! https://t.co/grujlnjsuB pic.twitter.com/3q0hMbb705
— Vengaboys (@vengaboys) May 21, 2019
A popular Austrian satire TV programme played the song at
the beginning of the show on Tuesday.
Listen to the song below.