Innsbruck march protests education policy and headscarf ban

A demonstration against what organisers call “right-wing policies in education” is moving through central Innsbruck, ORF Tirol reported. Protesters are also opposing what they describe as excessive budget cuts and the school headscarf ban.

The registered march began at 8:30 a.m. at Eduard-Wallnöfer-Platz and is scheduled to end at 3 p.m. in Rapoldipark, a park in Innsbruck. Police told ORF Tirol that organisers had expected about 150 participants.

Under the ban, girls up to the age of 14 may not wear a headscarf on school grounds. Teachers first remind students of the ban; further violations lead to a meeting with parents at the school. The next step is an appointment at the education directorate. There have been 252 such appointments across Austria since the school year began.

Vienna reported the most cases. As of October 8, the city had recorded 210 meetings at the education directorate and 87 reports involving girls who continued to wear a head covering at school. In Tirol, there have been four meetings and no reports to the district administrative authority.

Several hundred people also joined a school strike against the ban in Vienna on Friday, organised by social democratic youth groups. In other federal states, people were called to protest against racism, sexism and militarisation.