Tumultuous scenes – Arrests in demo training against academic ball

On Friday afternoon, hundreds of opponents of the FPö Academy Ball on Vienna Hauptun University gathered under the motto “Fire and Flame the Patriarchy: Fight of Sexism in Hofburg and State” gathered on Friday afternoon. From there, the protesters started their protest march on the ring to Stephaplatz. The last rally took place there shortly after 7.30 p.m. The police are in great efforts all night with a few hundred troops.

There were short scenes when a small group of protesters with a hood tried to leave the city center for their masking during the last rally. A cat and mouse game with the police followed.

The officials eventually kept the participants, some of them were felled. There were identity assessments due to the masking ban. A spokesperson for the directorate of the State Police spoke about four arrests because of the opposition to state power. In general, considerably fewer people should have participated in the demo this year than in previous years.

“The demonstration focuses on the fight against sexism this year,” co -organizer Axel Magnus explains from the “offensive against right”. Take the ball as a chance on the eve of International Women’s Day to point out the backward image of Völkischer brotherhoods. The FPö also showed in failed government negotiations that it wanted to push women back to the stove. Moreover, like every year – a sign against the ball described by critics must be set as a network meeting. “We don’t want such a ball in the Hofburg,” said Magnus.

Police Closes in the city center
A ban on the space was prescribed from the police in the area of ​​the Heldplatz, which has been in force since Friday at 5 p.m. For this reason, traffic disorders and police closures were also expected in the city center. The vehicle traffic between Operergasse and Wipplingerstraße was blocked in a ring. Moreover, there were short locks and distractions in the meeting area and in adjacent streets.

Protesters were separated
In addition to the marching rally, various stand rally were registered in the inner -city area. The “Anti -Fascist Alliance Ballhausplatz” – a fusion of the Jewish Austrian university students (Jöh), the “grandma against right”, the green youth and other groups – had planned a meeting at 7 p.m. at 7 p.m.

In the “offensive against law” his groups “involved with whom we, as Jewish activists, were unable to work together, especially since October 7,” said Jöh President Alon Ishay, referring to different positions about the war in the Gazastrook.

“Unfortunately, these are currently things that separate us,” said Magnus. “But the subject of Gaza has nothing to do with this demonstration,” said the co -organizer. He himself comes from a Jewish family, whose male large generation of great grandigers was murdered while Shoah was murdered and would be “justified to criticize every state in the world,” Magnus replied to anti -Semitism by critics.

Peaceful Second Rally
The second protest next to the established demo through the city center finally took place in Michaelerplatz. There, only a few ball opponents tried disguised in carnival costumes to adjust guests of the ball and with guests in conversations with the “Cacademic Ball”, as a disguised demonstrator called. Otherwise the rally at Michaelerplatz was peaceful.

In advance, the Jöhöh with a video projection from a “countdown to the Nazi ball” at the Buitenkasteelpoort attracted attention. According to a broadcast from Jewish University on Friday, the police removed the projection on the eve of the ball after a report due to suspicion.

Violent protests in the past
In the past, the ball has always been accompanied by violent protests. Especially in 2014 there were numerous material damage and also a considerable number of injured protesters and police officers. In the following years, however, the situation calm considerably.

The displeasure of the demonstrators has always focused primarily on German-national brotherhoods, which have been organizing and shaping the event since 1952. The event was organized until 2012 by the Vienna Corporation Ring (WKR). After differences with the Vienna Hofburg, the FPö Vienna took over the organization, which then renamed him in “Academic Ball”.

Sometimes right -wing extremist guests at the ball
Niki Kunrath, spokesperson for human rights for the Viennese Greens, spoke on Friday with regard to the location in the Hofburg of a “fatal sign” that would be sent here. Countless high-ranking guests of the Freedom Party are expected again this year, including the Blue National Council president Walter Rosenkranz and the Vienna FP boss Dominik Nepp.

The other guest list had always caused a sensation in the past. Recently Martin Sellner, former head of the “identity movement” classified by the constitutional protection as an extremist of the right side, the dance been in the Hofburg, visited the French legal nationalist Marine Le Pen in 2012.