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In Pictures: Austria protesters rally against COVID restrictions

Protesters demonstrate against policies such as compulsory vaccinations, with fines for those who refuse the jab.

Demonstrators hold flags and placards as they march to protest against COVID-19 restrictions and the vaccine mandate in front of the State Opera in Vienna, Austria. [Lisi Niesner/Reuters]
Published On 12 Dec 202112 Dec 2021
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Tens of thousands of people have rallied in Vienna in protest against restrictions introduced to halt the spread of coronavirus in Austria, including mandatory COVID-19 vaccines and home confinement orders for the unvaccinated.

About 1,400 police officers were on duty on Saturday to oversee the protest, which attracted an estimated 44,000 people and followed a similar demonstration in the Austrian capital last week.

Police said three people were arrested for offences including the use of fireworks and disregarding the requirement to wear masks. Journalists covering the event, which began in Heldenplatz square, were attacked with snowballs and ice, and one reporter was the victim of an attempted assault, police said.

The crowd was addressed by Herbert Kickl, leader of the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party, who attacked the government’s response to the pandemic. He said the public had not realised they were being “kicked in the a***” by the government, and said the protests would continue.

Separately, about 2,500 people protested against the restrictions in Klagenfurt, while 150 people demonstrated in Linz.

Faced with surging daily infections, Austria last month became the first country in Western Europe to reimpose a lockdown and said it would make vaccinations mandatory from February.

Banners saying “No to compulsory vaccination” and “Hands off our children” were carried by protesters in Vienna, who chanted “We are the people,” and “resistance”.

Austria, which has a population of 8.9 million people, has reported 1.2 million coronavirus cases and more than 13,000 deaths since the pandemic began last year.

Protesters light flares during a demonstration against measures to battle the coronavirus pandemic in Vienna. [Florian Schroetter/AP Photo]
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An estimated 44,000 people attend the rally in Vienna as Austria introduces mandatory coronavirus jabs. [Florian Schroetter/AP Photo]
Police officers walk in front of a demonstration against measures to battle the coronavirus pandemic, in Vienna. [Florian Schroetter/AP Photo]
Vaccination is to be obligatory from February for all residents older than 14, except in the case of a dispensation for health reasons. [Lisi Niesner/Reuters]
Nobody will be vaccinated by force, the government has said, but those who refuse a shot will have to pay an initial fine of 600 euros ($680), which can then increase to 3,600 euros ($4,070) if not settled. [Florian Schroetter/AP Photo]
Protesters demonstrate against the vaccine mandate in Vienna, Austria
About 68 per cent of Austria’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in Western Europe. [Lisi Niesner/Reuters]
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Demonstrators hold flags and placards against COVID vaccines in Austria's Vienna
Many Austrians are sceptical about vaccines, a view encouraged by the far-right Freedom Party, the third biggest party in parliament. [Lisi Niesner/Reuters]
Police officers detain a man during a demonstration against measures to battle the coronavirus pandemic in Vienna. [Florian Schroetter/AP Photo]
The Freedom Party, led by Herbert Kickl, called for rallies on Saturday along with several other groups. [Florian Schroetter/AP Photo]


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