25,000 protest Bush’s visit to Vienna

Some 25,000 people came out in Vienna June 22 to protest U.S. President George Bush’s visit to the Austrian capital and especially the U.S. occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush was attending a summit of European Union leaders.

Vienna, June 22.

The protest’s size and energy reflected the opinion polls for both the Austrian and European populations—in Austria only 14 percent support current U.S. policy, while 64 percent think the U.S. plays a reactionary role in world politics. In Europe, 36 percent believe U.S. policies are the greatest danger to world peace.

Bush traveled with over 500 CIA and other security agents to organize protection and give orders to the local authorities. In addition, some 3,000 Austrian police were deployed. While they did their worst to keep the president isolated from the protest, the overwhelming public opposition broke though.

Willi Langthaler of the Anti-Imperialist Camp (AIC)—one of the organizers of the protest—reported that: “When Bush drove into downtown Vienna in his armored vehicle the road blocks brought all life to a standstill. Activists of the Anti-Imper ialist Camp were uncoiling a huge banner reading ‘Bush go home’ from the terrace café of a multi-story building where Bush passed by. He had to see it.

“Other guests at the café spontaneously held the banner and joined in shouting, ‘Bush go home.’ Even the people below on the street joined in. The police did not want to interfere. Twenty-seven years ago when a U.S. president [Jimmy Carter—to sign SALT II] came the last time to visit Vienna people were standing on the road waving U.S. flags.”

The AIC report noted that this protest was as large as those that occurred before the March 20, 2003, invasion of Iraq, but that now there is much stronger popular support for an anti-imperialist position, including supporting the Iraqi resistance. Awni al-Kalemji, representing that resistance, spoke at a rally of some thousands.

Although there were two rallies—one more social democratic and one anti-imperialist—some well-known speakers like British anti-war Member of Parlia ment George Galloway and German member of the European Parliament Tobias Pflueger addressed the anti-imperialist rally. This shows that the anti-imperialist sector of the movement is no longer isolated and has attracted young people along with representatives of the Turkish and Arab immigrant community and radical Moslems, and some of the Austrian groups, according to the AIC report.