Shots and Allahu Akbar calls: Chaos in the Vienna Skaterpark!

Shots and Allahu Akbar calls: Chaos in the Vienna Skaterpark!

On Friday evening, May 31, 2025, there was a dramatic incident in the skater park in Floridsdorf, Vienna, which made the residents on alert. Two young people persecuted a man through the park, with one of them pulling a firearm and firing several shots. According to the police, this was a shotgun and corresponding projectiles were secured at the scene. Fortunately, there were no injuries, which was described as worrying by police spokesman Markus Dittrich, especially since many residents heard their shots and immediately alerted the emergency call. During the incident, calls of "Allahu Akbar" were questioned, which further heated up the Situation.

The police arrived with a large contingent, including the special units of the Wega, but when the emergency services arrived, the suspect young people had already fled. An immediate search in the area, especially around Floridsdorf station, was unsuccessful. The Vienna State Criminal Police Office has taken over the investigation and the police announced additional controls in the Floridsdorf area to prevent similar incidents in the future. This indicates a worrying development in the region in which youth crime has increased significantly in recent years.

youth crime in focus

As can be seen from current reports, the number of crimes committed by minors in Austria are steadily increasing. The interministerial working group to combat youth crime, which has been active since March 7, 2024, is an expression of this concern. In particular, the increase of 6,311 advertisements around 10 to 14 year olds in 2014 to 9,730 in 2023 shows that the problem is becoming increasingly pressing. In Vienna, around 500 students were suspended every year for violent behavior, and there is a clear trend upwards.

Violence in adolescents is often heated by social media and ethnically motivated conflicts between groups, such as Syrians, Afghans and Chechens. Robbery, the most common type of offense among criminal youth groups, are often directed against defenseless people. Initiatives such as the "Under18" project, which is planned for young people aged 12 and over from 2025, are intended to help react adequately to increasing youth crime.

The incident in the Floridsdorf skating park cannot be viewed in isolation, but is in the context of a variety of challenges that the police and society are facing. According to the Junior Crime (EJK), a high number of advertisements and arrests was documented from March 11 to November 18, 2024, including minors who have committed serious crimes.

With a view to the events in the skating park, the police in Vienna asked for more presence and controls in the region after the incident. The events illustrate the urgent need for preventive measures and a better understanding of the dynamics that can lead to youth crime. Similar incidents in the future must be prevented.

For more information about the background of youth crime and current developments in Vienna please visit 5min , Kleine Zeitung and BMI .