Activists set up camp at Michaelerplatz in Vienna

Some 70 activists from the Extinction Rebellion (XR) movement occupied Michaelerplatz in central Vienna on Sunday. The unrecorded meeting was not broken up by police at first, executive spokesman Marco Jammer reported.

Extinction Rebellion is committed to fighting climate change and has declared Michaelerplatz a climate protection zone. Normal vehicles were prevented from crossing the square, emergency vehicles from the ambulance and the police could pass. The executive diverted traffic and saw no reason to break up the meeting at the moment.

“We have come to stay,” said the “rebels” who set up the camp in a statement. The “Circus” campaign is not just an expression of rebellion, but above all, information and participation are emphasized in the form of an ongoing support program with music and speeches, as well as an open stage for artists and dance performances. XR urged the government to work with civil society. “It’s 2020, let’s seize our opportunity to keep the earth as a planet we can inhabit,” the activists said.