Tens of thousands protest COVID-19 restrictions in Vienna

Around 44,000 people took part in a protest in the Austrian capital Vienna on Saturday. The activists, in part called for by the right-wing “Freedom Party of Austria”, were protesting against a COVID-19 vaccine strict measures.

Tens of thousands of Austrians have been protested against the lockdown of those who have not received the jab. According to Vienna’s police, around 44,000 people joined in the march.

The right-wing Freedom Party of Austria leader, Herbert Kickl, has commented on the action. He spoke at the rally and joined in the singing of the country’s national anthem.

While the country’s fourth national lockdown ends on Sunday, restrictions will remain for unvaccinated people.

Similar protest actions have taken place in Luxembourg and Spain, several hundred people also gathered to defence their rights over the weekend. The rallies were strictly controlled by a heavy police presence after a similar demonstration turned violent just days earlier.

Across Europe, the coronavirus measures have been tightened recently to include an obligatory health pass for access to leisure and hospitality premises to prove inoculation or recent recovery.