This is how the mild protest of the “Last Generation” at Vienna Airport went

Around 50 people held an unannounced demonstration in the arrivals area of ​​Terminal 3. Airport operations continued uninterrupted, apart from a few diversions for passengers, and there were no flight delays.

• The OÖN reported: Activists glued themselves to the terminal

According to airport spokesman Peter Kleemann, the activists did not attempt to get onto the runway. The high-profile protest by the “Last Generation” led to a large police presence today, and the airport had previously announced legal action against the climate activists.

Although the “Last Generation” had announced the action for 11 a.m., the demonstration was not properly registered, according to police spokesman Johann Baumschlager. As a result, identification was established at several events at the airport. “It was important to us that they did not come onto the tarmac,” explained Baumschlager.

“Legal action in case of damage”

First, around 50 participants gathered in the entrance hall of Terminal 3 and gave speeches, among other things. Several demonstrators presented banners with the words “Oil kills”. The activists then split up into several small groups and blocked off individual paths in the airport. In some cases, the “Last Generation” also stuck themselves to the ground. The aim was to block Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, Baumschlager said. The police responded by diverting passengers. A few people expressed their opposition to the action of the “Last Generation”. “The fact that airports continue to operate in this way is risking the survival of all of us,” said activist Anja Windl, describing her motivation for the protest.

During the entire action, the “Last Generation” was observed, accompanied and filmed by the police. When the demonstrators tried to block both exits to the trains, some of them were pulled away by police. In view of the protest, airport spokesman Kleemann made it clear: “Wherever damage occurs, we will exhaust all legal steps that are possible.” The last activists left the airport at around 1:30 p.m., said Kleemann.

Charges against the activists

Vienna Airport AG has filed charges against the eight activists who demonstrated on Wednesday. They are accused of property damage, holding an unauthorized assembly, disturbing public order and several violations of the airport operating regulations, Kleemann said on Saturday. In addition, civil proceedings will be taken against the eight activists who spilled paint and delayed the departure of a plane, and compensation will be sought, Kleemann announced.

From a political perspective, Lower Austria’s governor, Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP), made a statement on Saturday. “I have absolutely no understanding for those troublemakers who have made a media-effective announcement about their mischief at Schwechat Airport and who want to spoil our fellow countrymen’s holidays,” said the state leader in a statement sent to the APA. “I would like to write a very simple message to you: you are not climate heroes, but criminals. Anyone who disrupts air traffic must go to prison.”