Original article (in Bosnian) was published on 26/11/2021
A video from the protest against the anti-pandemic measures in Vienna is circulating on social networks, with incorrect claims that it shows Austrian police officers who “took off their uniforms and stood by the people”.
On November 20, 2021, on the Facebook profile of Mario Cicus, a video was published featuring the following description:
As I announced yesterday, it happened today.
Police in Vienna took off their uniforms and stood by the people! 🔥
Croatian police, what are you waiting for?!
The video shows a group of people walking down the street carrying a banner that reads “Polizisten für Grund- und Freiheitsrechte”, i.e., “Police officers for fundamental and civil liberties”, and who are greeted by applause.
As of the date of writing this analysis, the video from Mario Cicus’ profile has been shared 2,500 times, and it has been published on several other Facebook profiles and pages (1, 2, 3), where it has also recorded a large number of interactions.
What are the facts?
In Vienna, on Saturday, November 20, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the announced lockdown and mandatory vaccination in Austria, The Guardian reported in an article published the same day.
As explained in an article, the Austrian government announced a lockdown starting Monday, November 22, and mandatory vaccination against Covid-19 starting February 1, 2022. An estimated 35,000 people took part in the protests in Vienna. Ten arrests were recorded for violating anti-pandemic measures and wearing Nazi symbols.
Our partner, fact-checking portal Faktograf, also wrote about the viral video that allegedly shows police officers who joined the protests in an analysis published on November 22, 2021.
Faktograf’s analysis states:
Reporting on the protest, DiePresse states that a group of people carried a banner with the message “Police officers for fundamental and human rights!” and that they were most likely plainclothes police officers who are speculated to be German nationals.
Faktograf’s analysis also emphasized that on the basis of a banner carried by a small group of people, it was manipulative to claim that the Austrian police had “joined the people”.
An official press release was published on the official website of the Austrian State Police Administration on November 20, announcing that 1,300 police officers would be deployed to ensure safety at the rally, and appealing to citizens to avoid large gatherings and respect current epidemiological measures:
Numerous rallies have been reported to the Vienna State Police Administration on Saturday, November 20, 2021. Due to the different protest routes, temporary traffic disruptions can be expected throughout the city; traveling using vehicles that are not necessary should be postponed in the areas covered by the protests. Demonstrations could also seriously affect public transport. As always, Vienna’s police are trying to minimize the impact of the rallies on the population not involved in the protests.
Most gatherings are expected to be directed against current or forthcoming COVID measures. Due to the current epidemiological situation, having in mind their health and the health of others, citizens are asked not to respond to invitations to such large gatherings and to refrain from participating – regardless of the nature of the gathering.
(…)
To ensure a safe process and compliance with the relevant COVID regulations, additional officials from other states were invited to support the Vienna Police Force. A total of about 1,300 police officers will be on duty.
After the protests ended, the police issued another statement, stating that about 40,000 people took part in the protests and that the police had to use tear gas against some aggressive demonstrators. It is also stated that several people were arrested and that more than 1,300 members of the police force managed to ensure public order and security in the city.
It is clear from the announcement that the Austrian police did not leave their duty to join the demonstrations. Reports of arrests during the protests also testify to this.
According to the facts, the claim that the police in Vienna took off their uniforms and “joined the people”, i.e., the protest against anti-pandemic measures, we rate as fake news.