Uproar over demonstration ban

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A choir sings on Ballhausplatz to mark Remembrance Day.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Joe Klamar)

Well over a thousand people took part in the rally organized by the Jewish Community on the anniversary of the Hamas terror attack on Israeli civilians on 7 October 2023 on Vienna's Ballhausplatz on Monday evening. Speakers on a stage on Ballhausplatz included relatives of victims, artists and high-ranking politicians. The event ended with a sea of lights. The parliament building was illuminated in the colors of the Israeli flag.

IKG President Oskar Deutsch remembered the more than 1200 victims of the terrorist attack and called for the release of the more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. David Roet, Ambassador of the State of Israel in Austria, thanked Austria's politicians for their support. 101 hostages are still being held in the "dark tunnels" of Gaza. "We will do everything we can to free them," Roet declared to applause. The terrorist act of October 7, 2023 had been "planned long in advance". The event ended with the names of the 101 missing hostages being read out by members of Jewish youth organizations. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens), among others, had already spoken during the day.

Van der Bellen looks to the future
In his post on the short message platform X, Federal President Van der Bellen focused primarily on the vision of a peaceful future in the Middle East: "If we commemorate the victims of October 7, 2023 today, then we should also look to the future. A future in which people in the Middle East live peacefully alongside and with each other. In which respect for the lives of others is stronger than hatred."

Nehammer: "Hamas alone bears the responsibility"
Chancellor Nehammer described the events of October 7 on Monday as "one of the most shameful terrorist attacks against innocent civilians": The murder of more than a thousand children, mothers, fathers and their relatives and the violent abduction of hundreds of people - among them the Austrian-Israeli dual citizen Tal Shoham - bears witness to the inhumanity of the terrorist organization Hamas, he said. "It is Hamas alone that bears responsibility for these acts," emphasized Nehammer on X. "Austria stands in solidarity with Israel and its security."

National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP) invited people to parliament to commemorate the terrorist attack on Monday morning. The images of the terrible destruction in the kibbutzim of Kfar Aza and Beeri, which he saw almost a year ago, are still vivid in his memory, said Sobotka. 

Edtstadler: "Israel's existence threatened more than ever"
Edtstadler said in a statement on the anniversary: "Our thoughts today are with the families of the victims, with those who have lost loved ones and with those who are still living in fear for their loved ones." Israel's existence is more threatened than ever. "That is why Austria will continue to stand up for the security of Israel and Jews worldwide."

The National Council was illuminated in the colors of the Israeli flag.

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Kogler spoke of the "worst pogrom against Jews since the Shoah. The cold-blooded murder, rape, defilement and kidnapping of hundreds of hostages was an attack on Israel's right to exist." The extent and cruelty of these attacks represented a turning point not only for Israelis, but for Jews all over the world, said the Greens' federal spokesperson.

"Our thoughts are with the families of the victims"
Edtstadler explained in a statement on the anniversary: "Our thoughts today are with the families of the victims, with those who have lost loved ones and with those who are still living in fear for their loved ones." Israel's existence is more threatened than ever. "That is why Austria will continue to stand up for the security of Israel and Jews worldwide."

Palestinian rallies take place time and again in Vienna.

(Bild: AFP)

Uproar over ban on Palestinian rallies
Several pro-Palestinian gatherings were also registered. However, a rally by the "Students of the Palestinian Cause in Austria (SPC Austria)" in front of the Vienna University of Technology was banned by the police at short notice. The ban was justified with a possible threat to public safety and order. Other events registered for Monday were not affected and could take place as planned. In a statement on the occasion of the cancellation, the organizers made serious accusations against the authorities. The police "as the armed hand of the state (...) constantly criminalize any form of resistance" and "fabricate baseless accusations of terrorism", they said in a comment on an Instagram post.

On 7 October 2023, the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas killed around 1,200 people and abducted around 250 people as hostages in the Gaza Strip. Israel then attacked the Gaza Strip, where Hamas holds sway. The Gaza war has claimed over 41,000 lives so far.