Preliminary assessment of the police operation
Vienna (OTS) – Incident time: July 20, 2024
Location of incident: Vienna – inner city
On July 20, 2024, several stand rallies and two marches took place in the inner city area.
One march led from Börseplatz to Morzinplatz, the other led from Helmut-Zilk-Platz through downtown Vienna to Freyung. The task of the several hundred police officers from Vienna, Burgenland, Lower Austria, Carinthia and Styria was to prevent the participants in these meetings from meeting.
In the Kohlmarkt area with Michaelerplatz, masked people tried to disrupt or prevent the march. They ignited pyrotechnic objects. There was a sit-in in the Reitschulgasse area. This was dissolved. In the course of this, people were arrested after they maintained the blockade despite requests and therefore did not leave the site of the unlawful assembly. In the meantime, the march was briefly stopped in the Josefplatz area and then redirected towards Freyung. In the Fahnengasse area, masked people threw stones and bottles and attacked officers with pepper spray.
Masked people in small groups tried several times to disrupt the march or the final rally on the Freyung. However, the executive branch was able to prevent this. During the police operation there were several uses of weapons, such as the use of pepper spray.
The front and rear windows of a police patrol car were damaged by unknown perpetrators. Three police officers suffered injuries during the operation.
To date, more than 100 identity checks have been carried out, 43 people have been provisionally arrested and several criminal and administrative reports have been filed.
Thanks to the measures set out in the operational planning and the prudent intervention of the emergency services throughout the operation, it was possible to prevent rival groups from clashing. The maintenance of public order and security could be fully guaranteed.
Questions & Contact:
Vienna State Police Directorate
Press office
Control inspector Markus Dittrich
Telephone: 01 31310 72133
Email: markus.dittrich@polizei.gv.at