Around 80,000 people protested against racism and the shift to the right in Vienna on Friday evening. Despite the wind and rain, the protesters gathered in front of the parliament. The demonstration was primarily a reaction to the emergence of a far-right network of politicians from the AfD, CDU and the “Identitarian Movement”, which had been discussing mass deportations.

The anti-racist initiative Black Voices, Fridays For Future, the Platform for a Humane Asylum Policy and many other organisations, including the Kurdistan solidarity alliance Defend Kurdistan, had called for the demonstration in Vienna. In a speech on the large stage in front of the parliament, an activist from the Council of Kurds in Austria (FEYKOM) called for a stronger joint fight against racism. “As a Kurd in Austria, I could talk a lot about how we are divided into good and bad foreigners,” said the activist.

In order to make a difference, an internationalist perspective is necessary, the activist continued and stressed that: “A joint movement is needed that is directed against the wars of those in power. Because wars and the increase in racism have a common cause: the capitalist economic system.”

In their speeches, Fridays For Future Vienna and Black Voices emphasised the importance of combating racism in everyday life and being vigilant. In addition, anti-racism and the fight for climate justice must be considered together because people in the Global South are particularly affected by the consequences of the climate crisis and the exploitation of fossil fuels follows neo-colonial patterns.