Several thousand demonstrators gathered at midday on Saturday in Vienna to protest against the confinement and compulsory vaccination announced the day before by the government to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The demonstration was organized at the call of the far-right FPÖ party, even though its leader Herbert Kickl, who tested positive for the coronavirus, was absent.
Read alsoCovid-19: in difficulty, Austria confines the unvaccinated
The crowd, gathered in the heart of the Austrian capital, a stone's throw from the chancellery, waved banners denouncing "
the corona-dictatorship
" or even saying "
no to the division of society
". All under close surveillance by the police, who feared the arrival of identitarians, neo-Nazi activists and hooligans.
Among those calling for "
resistance
", Katarina Gierscher, from the province of Tyrol, drove six hours to come and demonstrate.
"
It is not normal that we are deprived of our rights,
" laments this 42-year-old teacher who has been keeping her four children at home for several months.
"
The pressure at school is too strong,
" she told AFP, citing the PCR tests carried out every week in the classes.
“
The government wants to divide us, we must remain united,
” she says.
"Radical" restrictions
A week after cracking down on the unvaccinated, Conservative Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced Friday a containment of 8.9 million inhabitants until December 13.
As of Monday, they will no longer have the right to leave their homes except for shopping, sports or for medical care.
Only schools remain open but parents are encouraged not to take them to class.
Despite its initial reluctance, the government will also prepare a law to impose the vaccination of the adult population on February 1, 2022. The refractory will be exposed to sanctions.
Alexander Schallenberg apologized to those vaccinated on Friday for having to take such "
drastic
"
restrictions
.
He also attacked "
political forces in this country which vehemently oppose
vaccination", denouncing an "
attack on our health system
".
In a televised address, Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen warned of societal fractures which risk "
growing even deeper
".
“
The next few weeks will require a lot of effort on our part.
We must do everything in our power to break the fourth wave and prevent the next one,
”he insisted.
Read also Covid-19: Emmanuel Macron also confronted with respect for barrier gestures
In a Europe that has once again become the epicenter of the epidemic, cases have reached in recent days in Austria levels not seen since spring 2020: more than 15,000 new infections are recorded daily, while the vaccination rate is around 66% , or slightly below the European average.
