The first rally held in Austria by PEGIDA, the anti-Islam movement started in Germany, brought 250 supporters and just as many counter-demonstrators to the streets of Vienna on Monday.
They were met by 1,200 officers dispatched to keep the peace, Reuters reports. Earlier in the day, thousands marched against PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West), and on Friday, violence broke out when left-wing activists protested an annual ball that attracts right-wing figures.
The spokesman for the Austrian branch of PEGIDA, 28-year-old student Georg Immanuel Nagel, told Die Presse he wanted to see an end to "the appeasement policy" for the 500,000 or so Muslims that live in Austria. He also said he wants to see laws enacted that ban "Islamism" so people who promote Sharia law can be punished like those who extol Nazism.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
5 tips to save on heating billsThe Explainer Follow these expert recommendations for a cozy and cheap winter
-
Should you fire your financial adviser? 4 signs it's time to say goodbye.
The Explainer Breakups are never fun, but you have to protect your wallet
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
-
Dianne Feinstein, history-making Democratic US senator, dies at 90
The Explainer Her colleagues celebrate her legacy as a trailblazer who cleared the path for other women to follow
-
Will the cannabis banking bill get the Senate's green light?
Talking Point The SAFER Banking Act is advancing to the US Senate for the first time, clearing a major hurdle for legal cannabis businesses. Does it stand a chance?
-
Biden creates White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Speed Read The office will be led by Vice President Kamala Harris
-
Rishi Sunak lambasts China after allegations of spy in UK Parliament
Speed Read
-
Judge denies Mark Meadows' request to move Georgia case to federal court
Speed Read
-
Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson dies at 75
Speed Read
-
Clarence Thomas officially discloses trips from billionaire GOP donor
Speed Read
-
Judge schedules Trump federal election plot trial for crowded March 2024
Speed Read
