“We stay until the message has arrived,” said Klara Maria Schenk, climate and traffic spokeswoman for the NGO. A ten meter long banner with the words “Lobau Bleibt” was placed on the scaffolding of the westernmost town hall tower. According to the NGO, there were around 20 people who protested around 8 a.m. in the town hall. Ludwig is sticking to the construction of the city street and ignoring the concerns of the climate protectors of the Lobau protest camp in Hirschstetten, which has been going on for a month.
Greenpeace occupies town hall office
Greenpeace activists started an open-end protest in the town hall on Thursday. In the morning the aisle in front of the office of Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) was occupied to demand the immediate stop of the Lobau tunnel and the city street Aspern.
–
Climbed onto the scaffolding
According to police spokesman Daniel Fürst, about ten activists climbed the scaffolding that currently surrounds parts of the town hall, and another seven to eight were in the corridors inside the building. “Everything is going on peacefully, there are no blockades, and the Covid protective measures in place in the town hall are being adhered to.” Therefore, no intervention is necessary. A handful of police officers watched the situation. Numerous fire brigade vehicles also took up position in front of the town hall.
On the part of the NGO it was said that one would only leave the town hall if there was a reaction from Ludwig. The mayor should listen to the voices of science and the young people in the protest camps about the “crazy project”.
Public transport initiative required
“That is why we are bringing the protest to the center of power today and sending a clear signal: The Lobau remains!”, So the statement by Klara Maria Schenk, climate and traffic spokeswoman for the NGO. Greenpeace also calls for a complete reassessment of the road structures.
A public transport initiative is needed that allows cities and municipalities to phase out fossil fuels. Mayor Ludwig is called upon to take his promise of climate neutrality seriously and initiate a traffic turnaround.
Ludwig wants to strengthen security measures
Ludwig criticized the protest in the session of the state parliament that took place at the same time. “As mayor and governor, I am committed to the Republic of Austria, to federal legislation as well as to the decisions of the municipal council and the state parliament in Vienna. I have never let myself be put under pressure in the past either, not from political parties, not from the media and not from activities on the street, ”he emphasized.
Political decisions must be made in such a way that mandataries can exercise their free mandate. To ensure this, he will now strengthen the security precautions in the town hall, he announced. The town hall had previously been a very open house, he pointed out: “You should think twice about whether you can guarantee and endanger this openness of the house through activities.”
Green defend action
The Greens, in turn, were convinced that this was a non-violent protest – Greenpeace would also have the term “Peace” in its name, as Green MP Kilian Stark emphasized in his speech. His club boss David Ellensohn also assured that he did not feel restricted by the action in exercising his free mandate.
Ludwig countered: “We all in the hall know that the Greens have great sympathy for Greenpeace.” He would like to hear other political activists who are not close to the Greens hang banners: “It may be that other political groups do this Right to claim for yourself. “
Rally at the occupied construction site
It was only on Monday that the Extinction Rebellion climate protest movement occupied the headquarters of the SPÖ in Löwelstrasse in Vienna. The organization named the planned construction of the city street in Hirschstetten as the reason for the action.
A solidarity rally, organized by Fridays For Future Vienna and the citizens’ initiative Rettet die Lobau, took place there on Thursday afternoon, right next to the currently occupied construction site. Greenpeace spokeswoman Schenk also recalled the climate strike on Friday, there was also a demonstration for the preservation of the Lobau, thus the axis from Hirschstetten via the Praterstern to the town hall was lined with protests against the project.
–
