Vienna police arrest five after Halloween-night disorder

Five people were provisionally arrested in Vienna during Halloween-night gatherings, on suspicion of resisting police or causing property damage, ORF reported.

Several hundred police officers were deployed across the city after calls for violence had circulated on social media. Most police operations involved the improper use of pyrotechnics, police said. One suspect allegedly tried to damage a parked police vehicle with a flammable liquid. Authorities said they had so far prevented any major security incidents, and follow-up security measures continued overnight.

Two demonstrations in central Vienna ended without incident on Saturday evening, according to media reports, with only a few hundred participants. Several shops had boarded up their display windows. One gathering was held under the slogan “GenZWachtAuf” and included calls for better education and health care and for an affordable life.

Similar demonstrations under the slogan “Gen Z regelt” took place in several German cities on Saturday afternoon. After peaceful protests, violent scenes were reported in some cities, including Cologne and Frankfurt. Shop windows were smashed, stores looted and Molotov cocktails thrown at police.

Before Halloween, Vienna police said they had identified several suspects in connection with social media calls for criminal acts and the looting of luxury shops. On Friday morning, police searched six homes in Vienna and Lower Austria on orders from the Vienna public prosecutor’s office. Four suspects aged 14 to 22 were brought in for questioning.