jpnn.com, AUSTRIA - Tens of thousands of people gathered to resist Covid-19 preventive restrictions, including mandatory vaccination and stay-at-home orders for people who were reluctant to get vaccinated, in Vienna, Austria, Saturday (11/12) local time.
Around 1,400 police escorted 44,000 protesters. A similar action occurred in the Austrian capital last week.
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Police said three people were arrested for using fireworks and ignoring health protocols by not wearing masks.
A journalist covering the action, which began in Heldenplatz square, was attacked with snowballs and ice.
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The leader of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, who had criticized the government's handling of the pandemic, delivered a speech.
He said the public did not realize they were being ejected by the government. According to him, the protests would continue.
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Separately, a mass of about 2,500 protesters also opposed the Covid-19 restrictions in Klagenfurt and 150 demonstrated in Linz.
Austria became the first country in Western Europe to continue its Covid-19 lockdown.
Authorities will make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory starting next February.
The country of 8.9 million people has reported 1.2 million Covid-19 cases and over 13,000 deaths since the pandemic hit early last year. (antara/reuters/mcr20/jpnn)
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