As reported, opponents of the corona measures and vaccination critics have planned two demonstrations for the last day of the year. Despite the official curfew at 10 p.m., there was a crowd in downtown Linz until after midnight. In total, more than 1,500 people joined the protest marches. With loud music and pyrotechnics, the parades were more like a big party, as videos on Twitter show.
On Sunday, the state police department took stock of a busy night. There were seven arrests on account of administrative offenses, four on suspicion of resistance to state power. Numerous advertisements were also issued. The license plate of a patrol car was stolen and a police car was damaged. 24 demo participants received a complaint because they violated the FFP2 mask requirement, 20 more were reported because of administrative offenses.
Policeman injured in the head
There were also injuries to complain about: for example, a police officer hit his head on the floor when officers tried to arrest rabid demonstration participants who had previously attacked the police towards the end of the event. Because he was briefly passed out, he was taken to a hospital for evaluation. One person was injured in the face by broken glass. Fortunately, no one was injured by pyrotechnics set off by a man in the middle of the crowd.
A restless night in detail
The first meeting was scheduled for 5 p.m. Around 230 people came together on the main square and marched from 6 p.m. through the old town to the Landhaus, across the promenade to Taubmarkt, where they blocked traffic for around half an hour. Because the police checked compliance with the mask requirement there, the meeting participants loudly expressed their displeasure, but let the controls go through them. 24 people were displayed. The demonstration then moved over the Nibelungen Bridge to the Urfahrmarkt area, where the meeting was declared over shortly after 9 p.m.
Missiles fired at protesters
The second meeting was also planned as a demo march from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Around 8:30 p.m., the first 20 or so participants arrived at the Urfahrmark site, where they were greeted by five counter-demonstrators. There were scuffles and ranting, the demo opponents were finally expelled from the place. At that moment the participants of the first meeting arrived at the site. An as yet unknown person fired two fireworks in the direction of the demonstration and escaped unrecognized. Nobody got hurt.
Around 9 p.m., around 640 participants marched over the Nibelungen Bridge in the direction of the Volksgarten and back to the main square. When a person was stopped by the police for disturbing public order, there was a tumult that the officials could only end with “massive use of force”, it said in a broadcast. At that time, the license plate of a police car was stolen. When it arrived at the main square around 11 p.m., the march finally counted around 1,300 participants.
The mood changed from midnight
After midnight, the mood began to change noticeably, the police report. A steward set off pyrotechnic objects in the middle of the gathering. He and someone who showed solidarity with him were arrested. A man who tried to incite the crowd against the police and a man who tried to slap a police officer in the face were also arrested.
After repeated attempts to attack police officers, there were two further arrests. In one of them, a police officer hit his head on the floor, leaving him briefly unconscious and having to be taken to the hospital. Two further arrests – among other things because of aggressive behavior – were lifted on site. In the vicinity of the official act, firecrackers were detonated several times, which were apparently directed against the police. The arrested were taken to the police detention center. Then the situation calmed down.
Source: Nachrichten
