During the Ash Wednesday weather sticker belt lockout, all drivers blew their fuses. They attacked the activists.
For the 8th working day in a row, on Ash Wednesday, “state-of-the-art” weather stickers completely stopped three major suburban routes – Landstraßer Gurtel, Favoriten district and Schönbrunner Schlossstraße – in the midst of morning traffic in Vienna.
Read more: Road standstill – Climate action brought traffic to a standstill
Nerves were frayed on all sides, and there were even brutal attacks by angry motorists during the roadblock at the Gurtel, very close to Vienna’s main railway station. Just as the activists were about to cross the crosswalk, two men ran in.
“Fuck you motherfuckers”
Flushing with rage, they tore the banners from the blockers. As they delivered a speech, they also grabbed activists and violently dragged them off the street, accompanied by chants of protest. “You dirty fagots,” one of the men shouted. E: “Fuck you motherfuckers” can be heard in the following Puls24 video recordings:
Despite the escalation, the “last generation” continued their relentless protest: “Better than sitting at home and waiting for the world to end,” one of the activists told Puls24.
Another criticized the government’s useless climate measures. There is no “other way” but to continue. Because the many protests in front of the ministries in the past would not have had any effect.
Even drivers who didn’t get physicals found the sudden blockage in front of the radiator grille “pretty bad”: “If they want to do something, they can do it elsewhere,” said one driver who missed an appointment because of it.
One motorcyclist judged the whole action “crazy” because the cars were now emitting exhaust fumes while stopped in a traffic jam.
“Screw this!”
The “last generation” itself caused a scandal in the distribution group. Like her comrades-in-arms on Tuesday morning, Anja Windl, who became known as “Climate Shakira”, along with another activist, poured “green oil” on the distribution circle road and shouted: “Like fossil politics oily makes our road to the future impassable, so is this road impassable.”
Read more: traffic jam chaos! “Climate Shakira” escapes the distribution circle
For the 25-year-old, the action became a double-slip. Because not only did she draw the ire of many, but when the police pulled her off the road, she slipped on the asphalt in the oil that had just been spilled:
And: The matter must also have legal consequences for the 25-year-old and her oil accomplice. “The oil was spilled again into the distribution circle – this will be reported in accordance with Section 89 of the Penal Code (suspected threat to physical security),” Vienna police reported after the blockages were lifted.
If convicted under this paragraph, Windl could face up to three months in prison. Read more here >>
Read more: First city gives in: climate sticker negotiations
Browsing account rcp time 22.02.2023, 20:20 | Act: 02/22/2023, 20:20