One country, two worlds – on Wednesday Linz became the focus of the division that runs through Upper Austria. On the one hand, the clinic staff, who are on the verge of their stress limit and quietly asked for attention, on the other hand, the opponents of the corona measures who wandered across the city for hours.
In front of the Barmherzigen Brüder hospital there was a Christmas tree with wish lists from the workforce: “More respect”, “Reduce working hours”, “Work as agreed”: “We are there because politics has failed,” said works council chief Erwin Deicker. Corona only makes the consequences of the austerity policy really visible. Around 200 employees stood there – supported by dozens of cardboard comrades – and asked silently and protected with FFP2 masks for better working conditions. Two police officers were also there – not because they were afraid of doctors and nursing staff, but because medical staff had already been targeted by opponents of the corona measures and at the same time a demo of this faction was formed on the main square. Led by 13 tractors, it went over them Nibelungen Bridge through Urfahr, then back and across Linz to the State Service Center. “No compulsory vaccination” was chanted – and “they will lose”. A large number of police stopped the train on the agreed route, the major traffic collapse did not materialize. The police bus with the illuminated inscription “Mask required” was ignored, hardly any of the 3800 participants wore mouth and nose protection, and the whip called out: “We are so many, they cannot punish us.” Most of the onlookers took out their cell phones and filmed. Some clapped, the majority shook their heads. “That’s why my bus is 20 minutes late,” said Clara from Freistadt, who was sitting at the bus stop in Urfahr, annoyed, and: “I understand when people demonstrate, but does it always have to be at rush hour and in the middle of the street?” “Assaults cannot be tolerated” In Linz the demo remained peaceful – with the exception of verbal assaults in front of the government seat and media houses. In Braunau, after a Corona rally, a Volkshilfe nurse (48) was insulted by demonstrators and poured coffee on them. “Assaults in the vicinity of demonstrations are not acceptable. We will not allow people to be harassed and attacked,” said LH Thomas Stelzer.
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