Nightly Vigil Held in Front of Festival Weeks Poster in Vienna

The nighttime vigil in front of a large poster for the Vienna Festival Weeks, which was re-erected after its destruction near the Soviet War Memorial at Schwarzenbergplatz, proceeded quietly. Festival director Milo Rau also spent the night in one of the three tents set up, according to the festival. "Some passersby stopped by and engaged in conversation, everything went peacefully," a spokeswoman told APA on Friday morning.

Vienna Festival Weeks poster burned

The poster shows two naked men embracing. Its placement at this location was criticized in advance on social media as an "act of boundless disrespect" towards the Soviet soldiers who gave their lives for the liberation of Austria in World War II. It was torn down and burned on Wednesday. A 33-year-old man was arrested, who, according to the police, was presented to a medical officer due to a suspected mental illness and then taken to a hospital.

Celebration planned at Schwarzenbergplatz

For Friday, a celebration supported by the Russian embassy is planned at Schwarzenbergplatz on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the "Victory Day" over Nazi Germany, celebrated by Russia.

(APA/Red)

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