More than 380 people were arrested during demonstrations against Corona measures in 2021, according to the Interior Ministry. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) condemned “the belittling of the Holocaust, such as wearing yellow Jewish stars with the inscription ‘unvaccinated’ and the associated perpetrator-victim reversal” as a mockery of the victims and their descendants and as an expression of anti-democratic behavior Attitude.
Cost 18 million euros
The police will continue to “act consistently against those who abuse the basic right to assemble,” Karner said in a broadcast. More than 200 people were arrested for violations under the Administrative Criminal Code and more than 180 under the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure. There were around 19,000 administrative reports and more than 500 criminal reports at the 2021 demos. The police worked 570,000 hours, costing 18 million euros. 39 officers were injured.
280 administrative messages in the new year
The demonstrations on the first weekend in 2022 were not without such incidents. A total of 32 demos were displayed in different cities. More than 280 administrative complaints – mainly about wearing a mask – were filed, there was one criminal complaint and one arrest in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure. Four officers were injured, including a policewoman who was hit on the head with a megaphone in Graz.
“Challenging Year”
“Almost 570,000 hours of work during the demonstrations by the Corona measures critics make it clear how challenging the past year was for the police. The police officers did an excellent job under difficult conditions,” Karner praised the police, “the different participants – families with children, right-wing extremists and soccer hooligans – required consistent intervention with a sense of proportion and a sure instinct. “
Source: Nachrichten
