Vienna (AFP)
More than a thousand people again defied a ban on demonstrations on Saturday in Vienna to protest against the Austrian government's provisions to contain the coronavirus.
"I lost my job, I am a nurse and I did not want to wear this crap mask anymore!", Sigrid testified in front of the Saint-Charles church in the center of the Austrian capital.
"I am not giving in on my fundamental rights, I have the right to breathe freely," she added with biting cold, in front of a crowd carrying Austrian flags and demanding the resignation of the conservative chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Six different gatherings had been registered with the authorities but they were banned due to non-compliance with barrier measures during previous demonstrations.
On January 16, 10,000 people took to the streets and there were still as many a fortnight later, when the processions were also banned.
"My father committed suicide in November because he did not want to relive what he had already suffered during the war," Beatrix Hasner, who wore a Venetian mask, told AFP.
"He said: I don't want to go back to a dictatorship and he shot himself at 92," she said, supported by her husband and very moved.
Austria was confined for a third time after Christmas and the government there is facing anger from part of the population as the virus continues to spread, despite the restrictions.
This country of 8.9 million inhabitants recorded more than 1,400 new infections on Saturday and the Tyrol region is a hotbed of the South African variant.
On Monday, the government let go of the ballast by allowing museums to reopen their doors, like stores.
The schools welcome students again, two days a week.
“The government is totally lacking in empathy,” said Manfred, who walked -2 degrees from a nearby village to central Vienna.
© 2021 AFP