Protest in Vienna: 300 people against upgrade and for peace!

Protest in Vienna: 300 people against upgrade and for peace!

Wien-Liesing, Österreich - In the pulsating capital of Vienna, on June 25, 2025, an impressive protest against armaments production. In front of the Rheinmetall factory in Liesing, a large manufacturer of military trucks for the Bundeswehr and NATO countries, around 300 people gathered to express their rejection of the worrying policy. The demo was organized by the platform "Voices for Neutrality, Peace and Social Justice", which focuses on the demands for a return to civil production. The participants of the campaign demanded that the production of truck and buses should be encouraged instead of military vehicles. It was a clear message to the political decision -makers: the priorities have to change!

The demonstration not only met with positive echo on the part of the participants, but also to critical voices from politics. Former Greens Federal Proterer Madeleine Petrovic pointed out that the upswing in the armaments industry is a massive break in the Austrian Neutrality Act. These concerns are particularly relevant if you consider the planned increase in the German defense budget from EUR 62.4 billion to EUR 152.8 billion by 2026. Such developments could bring Austrian neutrality into a dangerous dilemma, as is reported on taz.de.

Austria's neutrality: a story in change

The discussion about Austrian neutrality is anything but new. In recent decades, the perception and implementation of this neutrality has changed. In an analysis, Martin Senn describes three dimensions of neutrality policy: interpretation, the attractiveness and the deterrent. These aspects are crucial for the design of a neutral foreign policy, which should be continued despite the current armaments development. Historically speaking, neutrality was consolidated with the Neutrality Act in 1955, but the past few years show stagnating development in the politicization of this topic. There are no clear, political structures to actively revitalize the neutrality, as parlament.gv.at.

The dependence on international weapons systems and the decline in their own armaments production pose challenges. Despite the neutrality, cooperation within the EU is required in terms of exporting armaments. In 2022, Austria exported armaments worth 14 million tivs, which shows that the country is intertwined with the armaments industry despite its neutral attitude. The armaments industry comprises around 2,000 employees in Germany, while many companies suffered from production in production due to historical scandals and privatizations, as well as on [truppendienst.com] (https://www.truppendienst.com/themen/betraege/artikel/autarke-ruestung-und-und- Defense) described in detail.

social pressure is growing

The protest movement that was on the street in Vienna today is a sign of growing awareness within the population. A young generation that knows less and less about the horrors of earlier wars is encouraged by such actions to deal more strongly with political reality. At the same time, the voices become louder that demand the need for de -escalation and the delegitimization of military violence. The demonstration therefore served as a protest against armaments production, but also as a wake -up call to lead a new dialogue beyond peace and social justice in Austria and beyond

The coming months will show whether the political landscape is reacting to these demands and whether there will be a real change in armaments and neutrality policy. The countdown to the Apocalypse, as described by war warners, is no longer a distant scenario, but is more tangible through current geopolitical developments.