Karner defends police arrest of journalist in Steyr

Austria’s interior minister has defended the police arrest of freelance journalist Michael Bonvalot at a gathering in Steyr, ORF reported. Bonvalot disputes the police account and plans to take legal action.

Bonvalot said he went to report on a so-called “walk” by opponents of coronavirus measures on Sunday. He said participants crowded him, and that police then told him to leave because the gathering’s organiser felt disturbed by his presence. Bonvalot was arrested after he refused to go.

Police cited an alleged physical assault on the organiser to justify the arrest, according to the APA news agency. Bonvalot denies this, saying he extended his arm to create distance after being crowded.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the police response was “proportionate and correct”, citing a review of footage from officers’ body-worn cameras. He said police treated participants the same regardless of whether they were “left-wing” or “right-wing”, and that everyone had to follow the rules.

Bonvalot said an officer told him at the scene that the organiser did not want him at the gathering. He also said he was taken to a cell after his arrest and held there until the event ended.

Bonvalot plans to file a complaint against the police with the Regional Administrative Court of Upper Austria. On Thursday afternoon, he published a video that he said showed the confrontation with gathering participants and the police response.