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In St. Pölten, hundreds of people again demonstrated against compulsory vaccination on Sunday. The mood at the rally and the subsequent protest march was quite tense. There were dozens of complaints and four arrests.
Several meetings took place this weekend in Lower Austria: on Saturday in Krems, on Sunday in the provincial capital and in Texingtal, the home town of Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP), and in Pöchlarn (both in the Melk district). According to the police, 1,000 people gathered for the largest demonstration in St. Pölten.
Warning “of division of society”
The topics were well known: the participants criticized the federal government’s corona protection measures and called for freedom and self-determination. The rally in the government district and the subsequent march through the state capital were supported by the FPÖ.
In his speech, Christian Hafenecker, member of the National Council, warned against “splitting society and stigmatizing people”, but also against the state being undermined and democracy being undermined. “These are times that we no longer want to experience and that’s why we’re here today,” says Hafenecker.
Because of the planned compulsory vaccination, the number of demonstrations has recently increased, but the willingness to use violence is also increasing, according to police spokesman Johann Baumschlager: “This is a small group. However, they are becoming more and more aggressive and violent and they are trying to stir up feelings against the police among the other participants in the meeting and to portray them as enemies.”
Police locate instrumentalization of children
According to the police spokesman, children are being used more and more often: “That is a concern for us. Children are deliberately placed between the police and aggressors. That makes it much more difficult for the police to intervene when children get caught up in this area of conflict.”
According to the police, the atmosphere at the demonstration in St. Pölten was quite tense. 62 participants were reported for violations of the mask requirement and aggressive behavior. There was also a charge of resistance against state authority and a charge under the Prohibition Act. Four participants were temporarily arrested.
“Slowly but surely, our officers are starting to feel a bit tired,” says Baumschlager. “Actually, it’s the job of the police to keep our country safe, but our colleagues are constantly on the front lines and have to accompany meetings. Nevertheless, we will continue to comply with the order to secure a meeting,” said the police spokesman.