Concrete hands – Camp Lobau is evacuated: a total of 24 arrests

According to police spokeswoman Barbara Gass, the emergency services initially expected some 15 to 20 protesters “in the action area”, but due to the many buildings and caves it was difficult to give an exact estimate. A spokeswoman for the activists spoke on the spot about about 50 participants. According to information from “Krone”, other activists and supporters subsequently arrived at the start of the police operation.

They were confronted by more than 400 agents – including WEGA – who, in addition to the actual operation, closed off the area to prevent other people from entering the occupied construction site. After the eviction was completed, police reported a total of 24 arrests — all due to administrative violations, police spokeswoman Gass said.

Activists partially concreted hands
According to information from “Krone”, drones and the dog squadron were also used. Activists were carried off the grounds one by one and some protesters were even lifted by crane from protest huts where they had been chained by WEGA officials. “Two people are sitting in a hole in the ground, each cemented in concrete with one hand,” the director wrote on Twitter. They had to be freed by the officers.

The protesters had not only built wooden huts on the site, but also dug caves. The latter made it difficult for the police to proceed. It was initially completely unclear how many activists had buried themselves in caves. It was difficult to remove as extreme caution had to be exercised as there was a risk that the ground would collapse if the vibrations were too strong. It was therefore partly dug by hand for protesters, and construction workers also support the executive.

Activists: ‘LobauBleibt cannot be cleaned up’
The area was closed off over a large area and the Hirschstetten exit was also closed in the morning. A helicopter circled the camp, whose residents have been protesting the construction of the city road for seven months. The activists said on Twitter that LobauBleibt was “unclear” even if “the occupation is brutally dissolved today”. The campaign was also criticized by Fridays for Future and Global 2000.

Mahdalik happy with ‘cleaning day’, calls for further evacuation
On the other hand, the FPÖ’s traffic spokesman in Vienna’s city hall, Toni Mahdalik, was “happy about this day of cleaning, also at this construction site”. He also calls on the “Krone” to evacuate the third protest camp. Located a few hundred meters away in Anfanggasse, this camp is surrounded by greenery and is the only legally registered protest camp.

Sima: ‘It is a construction site in Asfinag, nothing has changed’
In a broadcast from Asfinag as the owner of the property, it is said that construction work on the A23 Hirschstetten junction must continue. The police were “asked for support”, the focus was on de-escalation and “dealing with the activists with respect”. Transport councilor Ulli Sima (SPÖ) emphasized that the property was a construction site for Asfinag, “and nothing has changed”.

Asfinag plans to continue construction work today
Construction work will start on Tuesday, the reason for this being “contractual obligations towards the city of Vienna”. The protesters were promised that the erected structures would be dismantled by hand “to ensure that the materials could be recycled as much as possible. Food and other utensils belonging to the activists are collected, packaged and then made available,” Asfinag said.

The responsible ministry told the “Krone” that it was a pity that an eviction had to take place due to contractual obligations. The only authority that could have prevented this was the city of Vienna by rethinking the Stadtstrasse project.

Videos of the eviction of a “Krone” reader-reporter:

“Fatal step in the wrong direction”
The activists of LobauBleibt strongly criticized the eviction: “Numerous people who do not want to voluntarily leave the site of peaceful protest to the excavators and leveling rollers will have to be removed from their huts and tents soon,” it said in a broadcast. Mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) wanted to create facts with the construction of the city highway in order to enforce the Lobau tunnel after all. “In times of fossil war and climate crisis, that would be a fatal step in the wrong direction.”

Friday evening, Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion and the LobauBleibt movement announced a protest in front of the SPÖ headquarters on Löwelstrasse.

Rumors of eviction have been circulating for days
Rumors of an imminent eviction have been circulating for days. An Asfinag spokeswoman last week denied such plans at the request of “Krone” – they continue to rely on dialogue with the activists – but action is now being taken against the occupied construction site and against the one next to the Hausfeldstrasse U2 station in early February. Bus routes 22A and 87A are currently being diverted and the duration of the diversion is unpredictable.