The demo train has now circled almost the entire ring and reached the Burgtheater.
Initially, many demonstrators did not wear masks. That changed until late afternoon after the police intervened. There should still be some advertisements.
You saw a lot of Austrian flags, as well as some from the federal states, as well as Croatian, Spanish, American and others. Many participants also came from Germany.
After the excitement about the police lockdown shortly before 3 p.m., the situation now seems to be under control again. The demo train has been moving at high speed since 3:30 p.m., drumming and honking.
Among the demonstrators are retirees as well as parents with young children. People from the most diverse social and educational backgrounds are also among the participants. The presence of elementary school children and children in prams could be one reason why the demonstration is generally rather calm.
In the midst of the peaceful atmosphere, there are also occasional signs that play down the Holocaust by equating the situation of the unvaccinated with the persecution of the Jews. Other demonstrators expressly distance themselves from the extreme fringes of the political spectrum. Almost all of the posters are directed against the compulsory vaccination, partly also against the vaccination itself. Many participants doubt the effectiveness of the vaccination. So conspiracy theories seem to resonate with some demonstrators.
Before that, the mood was heated up for a while. Shortly before the opera, at the height of the Goethe monument, the demo procession had been stopped by the police. This caused anger for some demonstrators. Some police officers were verbally abused. The protesters accused the police of deliberately wanting to escalate the situation. They felt provoked by this measure.
The police immediately spoke up. She had seen pyrotechnic objects and other dangerous implements in the front rows of some of the participants. These people now had to be checked. Then the train could continue. The police officers also use pepper spray.
