Hundreds of police officers

Halloween: Hundreds of Kilograms of Illegal Fireworks Found

Hundreds of police officers were on duty in Vienna on Halloween night (stock photo).(Bild: Eva Manhart)

Riots broke out in Vienna on Halloween night. Five people were taken into custody in connection with gatherings in downtown Vienna. Overall, however, police and fire officials agree that Halloween night passed without any serious disturbances.

Five people were taken into custody on suspicion of resisting arrest or property damage, the police reported early Sunday morning. After calls for violence on Halloween night had already been circulating on social media platforms, several hundred police officers were deployed throughout the city.

Police Vehicle Damaged
The majority of police interventions were related to the misuse of fireworks, the police further explained. There were isolated instances of criminal activity. One of the suspects is said to have attempted to damage a parked police vehicle using a flammable liquid.

In Vienna’s Floridsdorf district, there was heavy fireworks use on Halloween night, according to a user on X:

In the Donaustadt district, several portable toilets were set on fire, and in Favoriten, a cigarette vending machine was blown up. However, major security incidents were prevented. So-called follow-up security measures continued throughout the night.

Two Rallies in Downtown Vienna
According to media reports, two demonstrations in downtown Vienna had already ended without incident on Saturday evening. Only a few hundred participants reportedly took part. Several stores had barricaded their storefronts with wooden boards. One rally was held under the slogan “GenZWachtAuf.” Protesters called for, among other things, education, healthcare, and an affordable standard of living.

While protests under the same slogan led to violent riots in other European cities, the protests in Vienna took place without any serious incidents, as confirmed by the police and the fire department. Although the Florianis responded to 30 to 40 more small fires than usual—mostly involving trash containers, shrubs, and e-scooters—“thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as feared in various scenarios,” said fire department spokesperson Christian Feiler to the “Krone.”

House Searches Following Calls for Violence
The Vienna State Police Directorate announced on Friday that several suspects had been identified in connection with calls for violence—spread on social media platforms—inciting criminal acts and the looting of luxury stores on Halloween night. Early Friday morning, six home searches took place in Vienna and Lower Austria on the orders of the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office. Four suspects, aged 14 to 22, were brought in for immediate questioning.