Austria has vowed to deport migrants, including Syrians, over widespread riots in the city of Linz over Halloween celebrations.
On Tuesday, a statement by the Austrian Interior Ministry said serious riots took place on Halloween night in the city of Linz, Upper Austria, where about 200 young people took part, 120 of whom were arrested for identity checks.
The statement said that the youths fired firearms at the upper lines of the tram, which led to the interruption of electricity and threatened the safety of public transport. It pointed out that six people were arrested while two police officers were injured.
The statement explained that on Halloween night, the police received reports from a large group of people who gathered in the Tauben Market area of the city of Linz, and threw firecrackers at passersby. After that, about 170 police officers were deployed, and protesters were surrounded by checkpoints.
A police spokesman said that after examining the identities of the rioters, it was found that half of them were from Syrian and Afghan nationality. Austrian citizens accounted for almost 20 percent and the rest were Iraqi, Iranian, Chechen and Turkish, according to Austrian websites.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner announced in a press release that he had tasked the state police chief and the city’s police chief to investigate the case and immediately begin procedures to cancel the asylum of the rioters.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
