On Saturday evening, the police confirmed in a short-term statement that the reluctance of the officials after the illegal demo train broke through barriers and marched into the city center via the ring was part of a de-escalation strategy. They wanted to prevent violence in the city center and not endanger uninvolved people, it says.

The statement of the police in the wording: “After the gathering of around 2,000 people on Schwarzenbergplatz, the majority of the participants tried to use the ring road and then to get into the city center. This was confirmed by pol. Prevents the formation of focal points. Shortly afterwards, traffic control grids in the area of ​​Gußhausstrasse were climbed over by people flowing away. As a result, numerous unannounced gatherings with several hundred people formed in the vicinity. They tried to get to the city center. There was also a march through Mariahilfer Strasse, with short interruptions to public transport in the area of ​​the Ring and Gumpendorfer Strasse. As things stand at the moment, this has not led to any noticeable disruption to business operations. As of this writing, 5 people have been arrested. The aim was to prevent violence in the city center and the shopping streets so as not to endanger uninvolved people or to significantly disrupt business operations. “