Activists erect Sobieski bust in Vienna following city blockade

On the 343rd anniversary of the Battle of Vienna, activists from the Identitarian Movement and the Polish group Młodzież Wszechpolska erected a bust of King Jan III Sobieski at the Kahlenberg in Vienna. The action was a response to the City of Vienna's refusal to host a permanent monument of the Polish king, which has remained a vacant pedestal since 2013.

City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler (SPÖ) previously canceled the project, stating that the city would not provide a platform that could be “instrumentalized for xenophobic agitation and the fueling of anti-Islamic and anti-Turkish resentment.” While the activists held a commemorative event under the motto “Heroes of Vienna!”, left-wing counter-protests also took place in nearby Heiligenstadt and Leopoldsberg. The police reported that the gathering of approximately 100 participants proceeded peacefully.