Pro-Israeli Demonstration Against Protest Camp on Vienna University Grounds at the Old AKH

Der Standard/ David Krutzler, May 9, 2024

German original: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000219346/proisraelische-demo-gegen-protestcamp-auf-wiener-uni-areal-im-alten-akh

Around 200 police officers on the grounds of the AKH. A pro-Israeli demonstration against the protest camp took place beforehand

The police began clearing the pro-Palestine protest camp on the campus of the University of Vienna on the grounds of the Altes AKH in the Alsergrund district late on Wednesday evening. This was confirmed by a police spokesperson to APA. Activists had previously reported by email that “around 200 police officers” had surrounded the students' camp and given the protesters 15 minutes to leave the site.

According to an APA cameraman, more than 100 people gathered in front of the campus to show solidarity with the protesters. They chanted slogans and blocked traffic on Alser Straße. It was initially unclear whether they were new arrivals or whether they were pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had already left the camp.

According to the police, 100 people had pitched their tents on the campus of the University of Vienna at the Altes AKH following a “pro-Palestine” demonstration on Monday. The University of Vienna “firmly” distanced itself from the protesters' concerns. Camps had also previously been set up and buildings occupied at universities in the USA and Europe. Violence broke out in some cases during their eviction.

Counter demonstration in the afternoon

On Wednesday afternoon, a counter-demonstration against the protest camp set up by pro-Palestinian activists took place with a massive police presence. The police set up barriers at several entrances to Courtyard 1 of the university campus to separate the two groups. Numerous students had to plan detours on the way to their lecture halls. Around 70 to 80 people responded to the call for a counter-demonstration by the Jewish Austrian University Students (JöH) and the Alliance against Anti-Semitism (BGA) Vienna, which was distributed via social media. They were separated from the pro-Palestinian activists by only around 15 meters behind police barriers and protective fences at the start of the demonstration at around 1 pm. While the protest camp loudly chanted slogans such as “Free, free Palestine”, “Uni Vienna shame on you” and “Israel is a Terror State”, the counter-demonstrators' camp remained quiet for the time being.

Initially, Israel flags were waved, one poster read “Rape is not Resistance” and the hashtag #BringThemHomeNow was used to call for the release of the Israeli hostages from Gaza. It was not until around 1.20 p.m. that slogans from the camp of the counter-demonstrators followed: “Against, against anti-Semitism”, “Shame on you” or “Free Gaza from Hamas”. In the protest camp, where more than ten tents had already been set up, the reaction was a poster reading “Jews against genocide”.

Isolated Criminal Complaints

The police used loudspeaker announcements to point out that the demonstrators had to keep a safe distance. According to the Assembly Act, a safety zone of 50 meters must be maintained between demonstrations, the Vienna Provincial Police Directorate also announced via the X news service.

This was by no means the case at the beginning, later the police tried to enforce this on the side of the counter-demonstration. This had not been registered, police spokesman Mattias Schuster said in response to a STANDARD inquiry. “After the request was not complied with by everyone, we also had to respond with identity checks and individual reports.” There was no encirclement. The demonstration was gradually breaking up at around 3.15 p.m. According to the police, there had been no riots up to that point.

Officers from the State Office for State Protection and Counter-Extremism (LSE) were also present at the demonstration. According to the police, the content of the slogans, some of which were also spoken in Arabic at the protest camp, was being examined for possible criminal content. In the call for the counter-demonstration, the Jewish Austrian University Students pointed out that speeches at the protest camp called for a “student intifada” and spoke of a “Zionist entity”. The protest camp was led “by the anti-Semitic groups Dar-Al-Janub, BDS Austria and Der Funke”.

Around 100 people were at the protest camp on Wednesday afternoon. According to the police, there were initially “no reasons to disperse”, said spokesman Matthias Schuster. However, the situation would be evaluated on an ongoing basis. On Wednesday afternoon, the University of Vienna once again “firmly distanced itself from the ‘Student Intifada Protests’ on campus” via Platform X. An eviction was “currently not possible according to the assessment of the executive”. However, the university had “continued to examine all legal options” in coordination with the Vienna Provincial Police Directorate.

IKG President Deutsch criticizes the actions of the police

Oskar Deutsch, President of the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG), strongly criticized the actions of the police. “Where do we live? There are calls for terror against Jews at the Intifada camp and the police don't intervene. The next day, students protest against the calls for violence, and the police protect the terror supporters, arrest the peaceful people holding up signs with inscriptions such as 'Free Gaza From Hamas' and report them.” The officers had thus contributed to “greater fear among Jews in Austria”, Deutsch said in a statement to STANDARD. He pointed out that protest camps had been broken up in other cities abroad. “That's why it's now time to scrutinize the operations management on the campus of the University of Vienna, replace it if necessary and finally dissolve this intifada camp.” (David Krutzler, 8.5.2024)

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