Thousands in Vienna protest education budget cuts

Geneva (ANTARA) – Around 50,000 people took to the streets of Vienna, the Austrian capital, on Thursday (22 October) to protest against cuts to the education budget.

The demonstration in Vienna had previously been announced by its organiser, the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH), in a press release.

“The federal government has announced a budget of €16 billion (Rp322 trillion) for universities over the 2028–2030 period,” the statement said.

“However, according to estimates by the Universities Conference, at least €18 billion (Rp362.2 trillion) is needed just to offset the effects of inflation,” it added.

The protest began at 3pm (8pm WIB) outside the main building of TU Wien, under the slogan “Red Alert – #SaveOurUniversities!”.

According to the Austrian National Union of Students, the demonstration was attended not only by students and staff from various universities in Vienna, but also by members of the academic community from other federal states.

The Public Service Union also provided transport for university staff and doctors travelling from various university towns.

ÖH chair Viktoria Kudrna told local media before the event began that the demonstration aimed to show opposition to the cuts.

She said there was still hope that the government would agree to increase the budget.

At federal level, however, the allocation was considered final following an agreement reached by senior government officials on Saturday.

The Austrian National Union of Students warned that the cuts could reduce the range of academic programmes, weaken support services for students and worsen employment conditions.

Kudrna added that students were already beginning to feel the effects.

For example, TU Wien’s library opening hours have been reduced. Since mid-June, the university’s rector, Jens Schneider, has also imposed a temporary freeze on new job openings as a precautionary measure.

The protest received official support from university administrators, including permission for students and staff to miss classes or work so they could take part in the demonstration.