Police on site
Counter-demo at Palestine protest camp at the Altes AKH
For three days, activists with pro-Palestine banners have been camping on the campus of the University of Vienna in the Altes AKH. Now, however, counter-demonstrators stood up to them. The police were on site with a large contingent.
There are dozens of people who have been demanding "Freedom for Palestine" and "Justice", among other things, for three days. At around 12 noon on Wednesday, the pro-Palestine activists were joined by more than 70 counter-demonstrators.
They had followed the call of the Jewish Austrian University Students and gathered a few dozen meters away from the camp, chanting slogans such as "Free, free Palestine", "Israel is a Terror State" and "Uni Vienna shame on you".
Eviction in case of damage to property
There were up to 150 people - mostly masked, many of them female - at the protest camp. The atmosphere initially seemed charged in places, Palestinian flags were waved and slogans were chanted non-stop. There was currently no reason to disperse, said police spokesman Schuster. An eviction could only be considered in the event of damage to property or violations of the law.
The police were on site with "sufficient forces to ensure that everything ran smoothly", as they announced on Twitter on Wednesday. The officers secured the area of the counter-demonstration with protective barriers and ensured that the two groups did not come too close to each other. The rally was broken up after 3 p.m. without any incidents occurring.
Three days ago, hundreds of activists set up their tents both in Sigmund Freud Park near the Votivkirche and on the campus of the University of Vienna (Altes AKH). The demands are similar to those in the USA: research funding for the arms industry should be stopped ("demilitarization of universities").
Numerous protests in the USA
Background: Pro-Palestinian protests have been keeping numerous universities in the USA and the country's authorities on tenterhooks for weeks. It all started on April 17, when students at Columbia University in New York began setting up a tent camp on campus. This developed into a nationwide protest movement.
The students are demanding that universities end academic ties with Israeli institutions and withdraw from investments linked to Israel or the war in Gaza.
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