Venting in Vienna
1,000 protest new COVID lokdowns
Tens of thousands of Austrians marched in Vienna and other cities Saturday to protest an impending new national lockdown.
The government’s declaration of a vaccine mandate starting Feb. 1 also drew the ire of demonstrators, who rallied at the Heldenplatz in front of the Hofburg Palace, the former imperial home.
Speakers accused the government of treating people as slaves and trying to control their bodies. Many in the crowd shouted, “Resistance!”
Johanna Reinde, 52, carried a sign reading, “Propaganda. In 1938 they blamed the Jews for everything. In 2021 they blame the unvaccinated for everything. People,
wake up.” The country is beset by “madness,” she told the Times of London.
“Come Feb. 1, they can do what they like, even lock me up. I am not going to get myself vaccinated.”
The Austrian government announced Friday that a lockdown for the unvaccinated would be extended to the rest of the country in an effort to stem a skyrocketing rate of new COVID-19 infections.
Many of Saturday’s demonstrations were sponsored by the farright Freedom Party, whose leader, Herbert Kickl, could not attend because he tested positive for the virus and had to quarantine.
Austria’s new lockdown, set to begin Monday, is the strictest action taken in Europe, which is seeing a surge of new cases, but other restrictions related to the pandemic prompted demonstrations in Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands on Saturday, a day after Dutch police opened fire on protesters in Rotterdam.
Much of the focus was over mandatory passes needed to enter markets, restaurants and sporting events, but the Netherlands reimposed a partial lockdown last week as its case numbers soared.
At least seven people were hurt in Rotterdam on Friday when a protest there turned into “an orgy of violence.”
The city has been rocked with rioting and protests since the new lockdown was put into place.
“On a number of occasions, the police felt it necessary to draw their weapons to defend themselves,” said Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb. “They shot at protesters, people were injured.”
The mayor said a number of police officers and firefighters were also injured in the mayhem, and dozens had been arrested.
Police used water cannons to restore order. Photos showed at least one police car in flames.
“The riots and extreme violence against police officers, riot police and firefighters last night in Rotterdam are disgusting to see,” said Dutch Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus. “Protesting is a great right in our society, but what we saw last night is simply criminal behavior.”