Pro-Russian march with St. George ribbons and Night Wolves allowed in Vienna
On May 9, a pro-Russian action was held in Vienna with the participation of Russian supporters and bikers from the Night Wolves group, which is under EU sanctions. The participants carried Russian and Soviet flags, and Ukrainian activists organized a counter-demonstration.
On May 9, the Austrian capital Vienna allowed a Russian propaganda march, which drew about 200 participants, reports Socportal.
They held Russian, St. George, and Soviet flags and marched in a column through the city center, singing songs that glorified Stalin.
Later, they were joined by several dozen bikers from the Night Wolves organization, which is under European Union sanctions and banned from entering the EU. This organization openly supports Putin and the attack on Ukraine.
In contrast to this action, Ukrainian activists organized a counter-demonstration. Chechen and Russian oppositionists also joined them. During the event, there were a number of provocations from the Russian action participants, but there were no direct clashes. Pro-Ukrainian activists plan to send a request to the Vienna city administration asking them to explain why the action with the participation of a sanctioned organization was allowed.
In 2015, Austrian authorities did not prevent the Night Wolves from visiting Vienna, where they participated in commemorative events with Russian diplomats. Earlier this week, Austria declared three Russian diplomats persona non grata on suspicion of espionage.