[ad_1]
Police use pepper spray against right-wing extremists who have mixed with protesters. The Israelite religious community warned of attacks on the road to the synagogue.
9:04 pm, March 20, 2021
Activists against the government’s crown measures stuck to their two-week pace and took to the streets again on Saturday in Vienna. After an hour-long train at the Gürtel near the main train station, the demonstration broke up. According to preliminary information from the police, eleven arrests and one use of pepper spray were made. The executive had about 1,000 officers on duty..
Since nine registered rallies had been banned in the run-up to a violation of Corona’s requirements, and this time the FPÖ waived an event, Initially there was no central meeting place on Saturday and several small trains ran through the streets near the main train station. A larger rally then took place in the Schweizergarten, where, according to police, up to 1,200 activists, including right-wing extremists, hooligans and vaccine opponents, sometimes got on and off the belt.
Almost no one wore a mask
About one in ten participants wore masks, the minimum distance of two meters was constantly ignored. The main motto was “Short has to go”, “We are the people” was also chanted. The Austrian national flag dominated among the flags they carried, but you could also see the Viennese flags, that of Lower Austria and even those of the rainbow. Neighbors reacted differently. “Covidioten” were called from two houses, others handed the participants beer cans out the window to support them.
Using pepper spray
As in the past, right-wing extremists, identities and protesters with ambivalent symbols mingled with the protesters. Countless right-wing extremists tried to break a police cordon on the belt. When the protesters tried to break in, the police used pepper spray.
Religious community warns of attacks
Meanwhile, it emerged that Israelitische Kultusgemeinde informed its members by direct message on Friday that right-wing extremists could mingle with the protesters again, like two weeks ago. “Therefore, we invite you to be more attentive on Shabbat March 20, especially on the way to and from the synagogue, but also on walks in the afternoon. ” As is known, it happened on the sidelines of the demonstration in the Prater, where the club president FPÖ Herbert Kickl he had spoken with anti-Semitic slogans.
More than 100 demonstrations announced
A total of more than 100 rallies had already been announced for the weekend. Nine of these were banned because it was assumed that the protective measures of the crown would not be observed, such as wearing a mask and a distance of two meters.
“Difficult situation”
On Friday, the Interior Ministry predicted a “very difficult” situation for the police, but also for passersby. Gatherings and traffic obstructions should be expected throughout the downtown area. Between 1,000 and 2,000 law enforcement officers were on duty.
“Freedom of expression abused”
The Greens criticized the fact that far-right groups increasingly abuse freedom of expression. “Freedom of expression, assembly and expression of dissatisfaction with political decisions are among the highest and most fundamental goods of democracy and one of the most important means for civil society to express its opinion and its dissatisfaction outside the elections” they said. Far-right spokespersons for the Greens Olga Voglauer and Eva Blimlinger. However, it is known that “far-right demonstrations and events are often disguised as rallies by interested citizen movements and are also recorded as such.”
