Syrian celebrations in Vienna: Chaos unleashed at mass rally!

Syrian celebrations in Vienna: Chaos unleashed at mass rally!

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - On December 8, 2024, more than 12,000 Syrians gathered in Vienna's inner city to celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The originally registered demonstration with only 3,000 participants quickly got out of control, as the FPÖ security spokesman Hannes Amesbauer reported. The police, who was already responsible for a football game, had trouble checking the crowd. Instead of harmless fireworks, shock pistols were pulled out, which continued to escalate the situation in the city center.

The large demonstration was organized by the "Free Syrian Community in Austria" to show solidarity with the victims of the Syrian regime. Amesbauer emphasizes that the cheers among the Syrians also reflect the desire to return to their homeland in order to relieve the Austrian social system. This could not only show the shots presented during the demonstration, but also the persistently high number of asylum application, which mainly come from Syria. According to a request from the Ministry of the Interior, a total of 845 asylum applications were made due to family reunification in January 2024, with 782 of which concerned Syrian family members, which represents an increase compared to previous years, according to the Kleine Zeitung .

high asylum application numbers

with 1,206 entrance permits approved, January 2024 was the month with the most approved family moves in a long time. The number of asylum applications has increased significantly compared to previous years, which increases both political pressure and social challenges in Vienna. In 2023, around 89 percent of the applications came from Syrians, which illustrates the dominance of this group among the applicants. The basic supply is also strongly shaped by Syrians and Ukrainians, with 78,847 people still lived in this category in Vienna at the end of 2023.

The high crowds in the demonstration not only show the unrest in the Syrian diaspora, but also the current burden on the Austrian asylum and social structures. The developments indicate a explosive mixture in which Austrian domestic politics and the security forces are required to master the challenges, while the situation in the home of the demonstrators does not improve.