20,000 said to attend Vienna rally against antisemitism, urge release of Gaza captives

3 November 2023, 8:10 am 1 Edit

Organizers say some 20,000 people rallied last night in the Austrian capital Vienna against antisemitism and in favor of the release of the at least 242 hostages being held by terror groups in Gaza.

According to Germany’s dpa news agency, the local Jewish community chief Oskar Deutsch said: “They all show that we stand for an open society, a liberal democracy.”

The rally comes after the Jewish cemetery in the city was vandalized earlier this week, as antisemitic attacks surge in Europe in the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war.

There is no official police confirmation of the number of participants, but local media reports that thousands took part.