View picture gallery
There were only a few incidents relevant to the police, the majority of the 30 reports filed by the police throughout the course of the operation were related to the “March for the Family” by Pride opponents and the counter-demonstration on Stephansplatz.
According to police spokesman Markus Dittrich, a total of 24 criminal offenses and six administrative offenses were reported. The Pride took place along the Ring, the conclusion in the evening at the Rathausplatz. At about the same time, a legitimately announced rally as a “march for the family” was held from Stephansplatz, ending at Ballhausplatz.
There was excitement on Sunday after a video of a police operation against counter-demonstrators at the right-wing “March for the Family” was published online. You can see a police officer using pepper spray against left-wing demonstrators – no reason can be seen on the video. The policeman also met police colleagues. The Green member of the National Council and human rights spokeswoman Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic also called for the incident to be clarified.
The “march” participants – according to Dittrich, the number was in the lower three-digit range – were immediately faced with about as many counter-demonstrators on Saturday afternoon. According to the police, they did not stick to the protective area between the two groups, which is why they decided to “push back”. “In order to enforce this measure, use was made of the irritant gas spray as a milder means compared to other, more invasive measures,” said the spokesman. A glass bottle flew, and a policewoman suffered a laceration.
Source: Nachrichten
