VIENNA : February 28, 2024, 9:42 am. Major operation in Vienna: Climate activists wanted to go to parliament Last generation climate activists protested in front of Parliament on Wednesday. On Wednesday they protested again; they actually wanted to go into parliament. The police were therefore on a large scale.
“The colleagues are currently taking the activists away from the entrance,” said police spokeswoman Barbara Gasser this morning. Around 40 demonstrators had tried in vain to get into the parliament building and then sat down in front of the House. As the police reported on X (formerly Twitter), those involved were carried away and provisionally arrested. Access for visitors had to be blocked at short notice.
The National Council meeting was not affected by the incident. “Contrary to media reports, there was no “storming” or attempted forced entry into the parliament building”, wrote the police. With this action, the Last Generation wanted to draw attention to the fact that the federal government of the conservative ÖVP and the Greens continues to ignore the Climate Council and that no party has presented an election program that is fit for survival. The movement is calling on the federal government to include a basic right to climate protection in the constitution.
The Last Generation let it be known: “Shortly after today’s National Council meeting began, 40 supporters of the Last Generation tried to go one step further and peacefully walk into the entrance area of the Parliament building in order to bring their concerns even closer to those responsible. This was prevented by a major police operation. This time, however, it is unlikely to be a traffic blockade. The protest is directly directed against politics. According to their own statements, they even wanted to get into the building:
“Shortly after the start of today’s National Council meeting, 40 supporters of the last generation tried to go a step further and peacefully walk into the entrance area of the parliament building in order to bring their concerns even closer to those responsible. This was prevented by a major police operation.
” The action also has an impact on operations in parliament itself. Although the plenary session can take place as usual, groups of visitors cannot currently enter Parliament. Those visitors who were already in the Parliament building at the time of the incident can now complete their tours as usual.