The police started clearing the last protest camp against the planned city street on Tuesday morning in Vienna-Donaustadt (reported by eXXpress). At lunchtime, the police reported the arrest of 14 “LobauBleibt” activists. Asfinag had previously asked the police to clear the camp on Hirschstettner Strasse “in order to be able to continue the construction work without endangering people”. It was unclear in the early afternoon how many protesters were still on the premises.
“LobauBleibt” spokeswoman Anna Kontriner confirmed the first arrests, but said that before the complete ban, some supporters could have moved up through a piece of forest. According to Kontriner, 50 people could still be on the spot.
Around 400 officers were deployed, including WEGA. In addition to the actual operation, there were numerous police officers for logistics and also as a reserve at the scene. Traffic was also blocked. “We anticipate a longer deployment,” Gass said. “There are sufficient emergency services to be prepared for all circumstances.”
