It was 4 a.m. of the 28th of December 2012, when the protest camp in
Sigmund-Freud-Park was surrounded by estimated 200 policemen/women. They
came from all sides and announced that the Camp must be cleared within 5
minutes. Approx. 3 1/2 hours later the evacuation was completed.
As a first step a plainclothes officer visited the camp and left at 3:45
a.m. after a short stay at the camp fire. About 15 Minutes later, the camp
was surrounded by a massive force of police. Through an announcement the
people were informed that the camp had to be vacated within 5 minutes. The
announcement was made only in German, although it was known that many of the
people at the camp do not speak German. In doing so the police referred to
an enactment about camping from 1985.
The identity of all those present was determined, some also photographed.
The whole place was illuminated, all tents were numbered, the people who had
been inside the tents were forced to stand before the tents, where they were
photographed and filmed from all sides.
To at least four people administrative penalties were announced. It is
currently unknown whether there had been arrests, but three refugees are
missing and it is assumed that they were arrested by the police.
Meanwhile, several trucks drove into the park, construction workers and
policemen began to destroy all the tents and the inventory. The remains were
loaded with a gripper onto the waiting trucks, while the activists were
prevented from rescuing stuff from the camp. The tractor, the kitchen car
and a bus were removed by a company named "Toman".
The press was present from the beginning and the police was filming the
whole procedure, while activists were prevented from documenting the
official act.
In the church Votivkirche, where refugees from the camp are on hunger
strike, an employee of the Caritas declared, that police is not allowed to
enter the church without the consent of the pastor. She also emphasized that
the Caritas is caring for the people in the church and that those who want
to leave the church can do so, but would not be allowed to reenter.
By 7:30 the evacuation was completed.
The evacuation was solely initiated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
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