Vienna police prepare for Identitarian rally and counterprotests

Police expect provocations and possible attempts to disrupt events when the far-right Identitarian movement holds a rally in Vienna on Saturday alongside two announced counterdemonstrations, ORF reported.

The Identitarians have registered their rally on Kahlenberg under the title “Heroes of Vienna! Commemorative event for the second Turkish siege of Vienna in 1682.” Organisers expect around 200 participants.

One counterdemonstration is registered as a stationary rally on Leopoldsberg, while another is expected to draw around 300 participants in the Heiligenstadt area.

Police said they would deploy sufficient forces to prevent the groups from meeting and to limit the risk of clashes. Unlike a planned rally by the Identitarians in Vienna’s city centre during the summer, this event was not banned. That demonstration was prohibited because a counterdemonstration had already been registered along its route.