Eight arrests at Seat strike in front of Israeli embassy in Vienna!

Eight arrests at Seat strike in front of Israeli embassy in Vienna!

Wien-Währing, Österreich - On June 10, 2025, the Israeli embassy in Vienna-Währing occurred an unannounced demonstration that had a significant impact on embassy and private transport. The assembly, which started around 1 p.m., was finally dissolved by the police. This was announced several times by speakers, but some of the participants stayed and went into a seat strike to draw attention to their concerns. According to the provisions of the Assembly Act, the demonstration was prohibited because it was at risk of public security and was not registered in time, as today.at reported.

Although the police gave instructions to dissolve, several activists decided not to give up their seats. In the end, this led to eight preliminary arrests that were brought to the demonstrators to a police retention center. This procedure was also legally punished, since the arrested according to the Assembly Act was reported, as well as [5min.at] (https://www.5min.at/52025061111254/unangemeldete-demo-por-polizei-greift-bei--bei-sitzstreik- through) confirmed.

freedom of assembly in focus

Freedom of assembly is a protected fundamental right that is anchored both in the State Basic Law and in the European Convention on Human Rights. It is the responsibility of the legislator to determine the framework conditions for the gathering of people. Generally accessible assemblies must be reported to the responsible authority in writing 48 hours in advance. This applies in particular to meetings within a radius of 300 meters around state institutions, while their meetings are even completely prohibited, as is explained in detail on [wko.at] (https://www.wko.at/wirtschaftsrecht/grundrecht-fertammlung freedom). In the current case, the meeting was prohibited by the district administrative authority because it voted against applicable laws. Even if the breach of notification is not justifiable, the officials had the right to intervene in illegal assemblies. This shows how important it is to observe the applicable rules in order to avoid such situations.

The incident illustrates the tensions that currently shape many European cities, and how citizens in their endeavors to be heard, also have to claim legal framework conditions. Ultimately, it remains to be seen how the legal consequences for those arrested will develop.