Two years break, 1200 civil servants, demonstrations and a forbidden area: the most important data about the Academic Ball, which will turn Vienna’s inner city into a hot spot again on Friday. Since 5 p.m. there has been a closed area around the Hofburg, the scene of the highly controversial ball. The police are carrying out large-scale operations, hundreds of demonstrators are expected on the streets.
As early as 4.30 pm there were major traffic restrictions in the city center due to the ball, the ring road between Schwarzenbergplatz and Schottentor was closed. It was recommended to drive around the inner city on a large scale. Trams also no longer ran in the said section.
Space closure around the Hofburg
The space ban also returned after a two-year corona break, it is intended to shield the location – the Hofburg – from demonstrators on a large scale. They were found in large numbers in the city center on Friday. A total of ten protest actions were recorded – one of which was specifically aimed at the Akademikerball: again it was the “offensive against the right” that called for a march. This leads from Schottentor to Morzinplatz.
Riots in 2014, then calm down
The ball – described by critics as an international networking event for right-wing extremists – was repeatedly accompanied by protests, some of which were violent. In particular, 2014 saw extensive damage to property and a significant number of injured protesters and police officers. In the years that followed, however, the situation calmed down considerably.
Source: Krone
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