Outdated Austrian Protest Falsely Linked to the Crash Incident in Magdeburg
The Claim
After events in Magdeburg Austrians protest in the streets for remigration of foreigners. They chant "remigration. I want to wash all my hands.
News posted on
Emerging story
Following the news of the latest attack on one of Germany’s markets, a video that allegedly shows Austrians protesting in the streets demanding the emigration of foreigners was shared.
The protesters held a banner in English reading, “The kids want” alongside a larger banner completing the phrase: “Remigration.”
One X user shared the video saying, “After events in Magdeburg Austrians protest in the streets for remigration of foreigners. They chant "remigration. I want to wash all my hands.”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral claim and found it to be misleading.
The protest took place in Vienna, the capital of Austria, five months before the car attack in Magdeburg.
An Outdated Protest From Austria
Through reverse image search, Misbar’s team found that the video dates back to July 2024, five months before the attack at a German Christmas market.
America First Post (AF) published the video in question on its X account in July 2024, captioned, “Remigration rally in Vienna today.”
Photos matching the scenes of the protest in the viral video could be found on several Austrian news outlets.
Heute, one of Austria's most widely accessed private news portals, published an article in July featuring an image of the protest that corresponds to the viral video. The article was titled, “Pyro, sit-in – Vienna police in a major operation.”
Similar scenes were shared by several news outlets confirming that the protest has no relation to the recent crash in Magdeburg. Voice of America published an article in July featuring an image showing protesters holding the same banner seen in the viral video.
Similarly, The Local also shared a similar image in July, in an article titled, “Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Monday.”
Two Opposing Demonstrations in Austria
The viral video depicts two opposing demonstrations that were held in Vienna’s city center. One demonstration was organized by two right-wing groups, the Identitarian Movement of Austria (IBÖ) and the youth wing of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). The groups protested against migration policies, marching from Michaelerplatz to Freyung.
The banner seen in the viral video was held by right-wing groups who protested against the current migration policy in Austria.
An hour after the right-wing rally began, another left-wing counter-demonstration started at Börsenplatz. The left-wing group criticized the protest organized by FPÖ and IBÖ calling the groups “extremist and neo-Nazi” who want the end of Austria’s “pluralistic democratic society.”
A Saudi Man Accused of Magedebgurg Market Attack
A 50-year-old Saudi man was accused of driving a car into a group of people at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, an eastern German city, killing five people on Dec. 20, 2024.
Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, the suspect, is a psychiatrist who has lived in Germany since 2006. He was granted asylum in 2016 and ran a website that aimed to help other former Muslims flee persecution in their Gulf homelands.
Taleb’s motive is still unclear to the authorities, as he seems to have abandoned the faith and has turned into a critic of Islam, judging from his social media posts. He also seems to have acted alone. However, significant details have emerged about him indicating that the attack was a different attack from anything Germany has seen before.
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