The police made the first arrests in connection with smokestacks and throwing cans. Protesters gathered at Heroes’ Square (Heldenplatz), located in the Hofburg complex.
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Hannes Amesbauer, the head of the Austrian Free Party (FPÖ), for example, also addressed the rally. According to him, it is no longer a question of whether or not someone is vaccinated. “Harassing these people and blaming the unvaccinated is a disgrace to the government,” he said.
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One of the protesters in Vienna
Photo: Lisa Leutner, CTK / AP
According to Kurier editors, there are also people with the Star of David bearing the inscription “unvaccinated”. Dr. Maria Hubmerová-Moggová from Graz, who praised ivermectin in connection with the treatment of covid-19 and also claimed that wearing veils is harmful to their health, also appeared on the stage.
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The police are supervising the wearing of veils on the spot. According to reporters from Austrian dailies, however, their wearing is observed only in the vicinity of police officers.
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Demonstrators set fire to smoke at the rally and shouted slogans such as “resistance, resistance” or “I am not vaccinated.” People from other countries are also taking part in the protests in Vienna. For example, Italian flags can be seen on the spot, as well as Serbian.
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Austrians facing complete closure are asking “I want my freedom back”.
Video: Reuters
At the center, the protesters split into two parades. “Both the Germans and the Poles are here, wearing banners saying ‘Don’t kill our children’ or ‘Hands away from our children.’ The whole center is closed to cars. But the procession is relatively calm, we did not feel afraid. No attacking, beating or cutting banners, ”said Veronika Lošková and Štěpánka Podrazilová, Czech tourists who are in Vienna for the weekend.
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But before six, they said they were among the more radical protesters who did not like wearing veils. “Police Antony comes here and the police have batons, it looks like it will continue less calmly,” they added, adding that they also met participants from the Czech Republic with Czech flags in the crowd.
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According to them, the locals also thoroughly check the local Dot. It is not enough to just see the QR code, the inspections take place in detail, in all enclosed spaces.
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Demonstration against coronavirus measures in Vienna
Photo: Lisa Leutner, CTK / AP
A video with opposition politician Herbert Kickl of the FPÖ also appeared on the big screen. “The government forgets that everything it gains by force can also be lost by force,” he said. Kickl added that he said the vast majority of the population was healthy, and called the government’s actions a misinterpretation of fundamental rights and freedoms. He gave Sweden as an example, where people “live in health and freedom without the fourth wave and isolation.”
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In Austria, due to the growing number of people infected – tests detected almost 16,000 on Friday – and overcrowded hospitals with coronavirus patients, a nationwide lockdown will be introduced from Monday. It should be valid for at least ten days, with a maximum of twenty. An all-day curfew will apply to both unvaccinated and vaccinated.
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From 1 February, mandatory vaccination for all residents will be introduced in the country. Unvaccinated people will face imprisonment. According to Our World in Data, Austria has vaccinated 65.2 percent of the population.
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