Unusual picture on Saturday, the first day of the third Corona lockdown in Austria: Hundreds of opponents of Corona measures gathered in Graz, the police did not intervene, although according to the police neither the distances were kept nor masks were worn. At the same time, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer announced even stricter controls only a few days ago when the lockdown was announced if the corona regulations of the turquoise-green federal government were not complied with.
In Graz, a police spokesman justified the non-intervention of the executive as follows: the event was monitored “in the sense of de-escalation”. “The surveys are now being initiated – very clearly – you want to know who is responsible for them and, if necessary, there are reports,” police spokesman Leo Josefus is quoted on ORF-Styria.
In Vienna, the “Wiener Zeitung” in the Ministry of the Interior was told on Saturday evening how it could be that on the first day of the third lockdown hundreds of people in Graz were demonstrating for almost two hours without the police intervening, that they were responsible for reporting the meeting State Police Directorate or the district administrative authority. Was the procedure coordinated with the Ministry of the Interior? “There is therefore no need for coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, and there is no provision for this,” was the answer from the Ministry of the Interior. In principle, a demonstration can be prohibited if there are grounds for prohibition under the Assembly Act.
Two-hour march mostly without masks
The participants in Graz had apparently arranged to meet via Internet forums to march from the main train station to the main square, where around 1000 people are said to have met. On a banner on the Internet without an imprint, there was talk of a “walk” that lasted from around 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. According to the police, there were no incidents. According to the executive, most of the participants did not wear corona protective masks and did not keep their distances.
In Austria, the third lockdown has been in effect since January 18, 2021, from midnight on St. Stephen’s Day, in which curfews only apply throughout the day with exceptions. Failure to comply with the regulations also threatens penalties. According to Interior Minister Nehammer, the police should ensure appropriate controls. The strict corona and exit rules also apply to New Year’s Eve. (ett / apa)
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