Wiener protest wave: Future of the demos after a major event in danger!

Wiener protest wave: Future of the demos after a major event in danger!

On June 7, 2025, a demonstration took place in Vienna, which was directed against the government negotiations between the Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). The event began at the Federal Chancellery and led through the downtown Vienna. State Police President Gerhard Pürstl emphasized that the police were well equipped to counter such protests and will plan observations on the situation intensively. The background is complex, since the measures taken by the new government could put a lot of strain on the population, which should lead to an increase in the number of participants in future demos, as our Central Europe

The Viennese police expects that there will be fewer meetings in 2025 than in the previous year, but the existing protests could be quite challenging. The background of these protests is also concerned about political decisions, which could possibly lead to construction projects or salary cuts. Pürstl in particular emphasizes that the number of meetings in election years tends to be high, since infotic as such also counts. The first protests already took place on Epiphany, as Federal President Van der Bellen FPÖ boss Herbert Kickl commissioned with the government negotiations, which further fueled the political situation, according to vienna.at .

regulations for meetings

In order to ensure a smooth process in demonstrations, a meeting is defined as a meeting of at least three people, which is organized with a common goal in accordance with the meeting law. The organizers are obliged to register the planned meeting in advance from the responsible authorities. Registration must contain specific information, including the purpose of the assembly, the exact location or the route, the time as well as the name and contact information of the organizer. It is also particularly important to specify the expected number of participants and the aids that are used at the meeting, such as transparent or loudspeaker, such as police.gv.at explained.

In order to guarantee security, a protection area of ​​50 meters around the meeting is determined, which can be adjusted by the authority depending on the circumstances. Protests that take place within a radius of 300 meters during the National Council, Federal Council or Landtag meeting are not permitted. The masking or carrying of weapons is also prohibited. The responsibility for the proper expiry of the assembly lies both with the organizer and the folders, whereby it is recommended to use one folder per ten participants.

Although Pürstl emphasizes an increased willingness of the police, the personnel problem could be a challenge in the future due to high pension exits and low new additions. Only about 800 police students were recorded in 2024, but the dropout rate was 20%. Nevertheless, the state police president shows optimism and wants to proactively counter the social changes in order to avoid violent protests and to protect meetings, which will also be of great importance in future demos.