Austrian Police Detain 53 Protesters Attempting to Disrupt a March by Hundreds Of Right-Wing Extremists
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Loading... - Gabriel Fortin
- 25 Jul 2024
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Police in Vienna detained 53 people on Saturday during clashes with protesters attempting to disrupt a march by hundreds of right-wing extremists. The incidents occurred as Austria's political parties prepare for the parliamentary elections in September, where the far-right is anticipated to gain significant traction.
Anti-fascist groups and left-leaning parties organized protests against the demonstration by identitarian and other hard-right activists. Social media posts depicted marchers in Vienna's downtown area carrying a banner advocating "remigration," which calls for the mass return of migrants to their home countries.
Hundreds of officers were deployed to keep the opposing groups separate, each consisting of several hundred participants. According to the Austrian Press Agency (APA), 43 individuals were temporarily detained for refusing to end a sit-down protest blocking the march. Additionally, 10 masked protesters were detained for throwing rocks and bottles, resulting in three officers being injured and a patrol car's windows being smashed.
Interior Minister Gehard Karner, a conservative, emphasized that police would prosecute offenses committed during demonstrations, regardless of whether they are perpetrated by left- or right-wing extremists or other enemies of democracy.
Austria is set to hold elections on September 29, with predictions indicating a possible shift towards the political right, following a recent pan-European trend. The far-right Freedom Party recently narrowly defeated the conservative People’s Party in elections to the European Parliament.
