Protests Around Identitarian March: Four Police Officers Injured

Protests surrounding a planned demonstration by the far-right Identitarian Movement in Vienna largely concluded without major incident on Saturday, though four police officers sustained injuries. The Identitarian demo itself had been prohibited due to a registered counter-demonstration planned for the city center.

During the counter-demonstration, police reported that right-wing extremists attempted to disrupt the event. This led to bottles being thrown, pyrotechnics being deployed, and attempts to breach police barriers. In response to these actions, the assembly was officially disbanded. Authorities reported five criminal charges and one administrative offense citation, with one individual taken into preliminary custody.

Separately, a smaller group of Identitarians gathered without prior announcement in the Brigittenau district. They displayed flags, banners, and used megaphones, moving towards Döbling. However, upon seeing alerted police officers, they reportedly fled, leaving some of their equipment behind. Police detained some individuals and conducted 35 identity checks. Charges were filed against unknown persons under the Assembly Act and Pyrotechnics Act, along with one for disturbing the peace.