Unlike last year, the Linz police do not expect any serious surprises in the form of serious mass riots on Tuesday evening. “We have done our homework in advance,” emphasizes police commander Karl Pogutter, who can count on a large number of colleagues on duty.
How could the mass riots and riots in Linz come about in 2022? “At that time, there was mobilization in the digital space through social media platforms such as TikTok,” explains Linz police commander Karl Pogutter. Young people were called on to participate under the hashtag ‘Linz becomes Athena’. The police chief emphasizes that there were no signals in advance of such calls this year: “We will still – just like on New Year’s Eve – very heavily occupy the public space and intervene at the slightest incident.”
The question of why about the events of the previous year is not only worrying the police in Upper Austria. Together with the Association of Cities, the state commissioned a study by the Criminal Law Institute of the Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU) to shed light on the causes of juvenile crime in urban areas. For example, what are the motives for unplanned participation in riots? A final report will be presented around the turn of the year.
Zero tolerance for hooligans
If riots take place again on the current Halloween evening, Integration Regional Councilor Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP) promises zero tolerance towards the perpetrators: “Anyone who crosses red lines must face the full consequences of the rule of law.” During the course of the riot, 154 identity checks were carried out by the police. The judiciary has now legally sentenced 25 people involved to prison terms of between two and eighteen months.
But something is also being done in the field of deradicalization. The chairman of the Upper Austrian Families Association, Martin Hajart, refers to the planned project to expand outreach work into the digital space. “The goal is to reach young people between 12 and 27 years old in social networks and gaming communities.”
Source: Krone
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