Riots after demonstration

Black Bloc plays cat and mouse with police

Bengal fires were lit and two people were stopped.(Bild: krone.tv)

After the calm demonstration before the Academics' Ball in the Vienna Hofburg, there was friction between masked demonstrators and the police. Two people were briefly stopped by the police and Bengal fires were lit. The police denied that the masked demonstrators were members of a so-called "black bloc".

After the actual demonstration, which had been registered with the police, a spontaneous rally took place near Vienna City Hall. 

Pictures of the demonstration:

The masked demonstrators marched from the Burgtheater via Rathauspark to Landesgerichtsstraße and tried to play cat and mouse with the emergency services. At around 21:00, the police managed to disperse the demonstrators.

Police spokeswoman Julia Schick said late in the evening: "After the end of a registered rally, several small groups tried to make their way towards the area where the demonstration was banned. This was prevented by the police. Several identities were established." 

You can read about what happened at and around the Akademikerball 2024 here:

Strache, Lugner and Sellner on site, Kickl and Vilimsky not present
The ball kicked off with a number of FPÖ celebrities. In addition to the Third President of the National Council, Norbert Hofer, who is a regular guest at the ball, his predecessor, former FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache, who was expelled from the party after failing to make the Ibiza video, also attended. Also among the guests: Identitarian Martin Sellner and master builder Richard Lugner. As usual, FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl does not attend. Top EU candidate Harald Vilimsky is also staying away from the Hofburg despite the super election year 2024.

Annual protests against the ball
In the past, the ball has repeatedly been accompanied by sometimes violent protests. In 2014 in particular, there was a great deal of damage to property and a considerable number of injured demonstrators and police officers. In the years that followed, however, the situation calmed down considerably.