Police arrested demonstrators in vienna 

Bethany Bell @BethanyBellBB

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Big police presence on streets of Vienna as leftwingers protest far-right ball in Hofburg palace.

Police have arrested over 50 demonstrators in Vienna, who were protesting against a ball, sponsored by the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria. Six policemen were injured during scuffles, while around 5,000 people attended the protest.

Organizers of the protests say that around 10,000 demonstrators were present, while police said only half this figure turned up. Seven people were injured during the protest – six law enforcement officers and one demonstrator, while over 50 arrests were made, DPA news agency reported.

"This is not a harmless dance event, but a meeting where Europe's extreme right comes to network," said one of the left-wing activists who organized the protests.

"We have got more people out than ever before. We are protesting for education against intolerance, Nazis out of parliament and we want to say that Muslims and refugees are welcome," the Wiener Zeitung newspaper cited another activist as saying.Protesters had initially tried to stop the ball guests from attending the event, the newspaper added.

The vast majority of the protesters were peaceful, though isolated scuffles did break out. Police in riot gear and with dogs had to deal with rioters throwing fireworks and firecrackers. The protest was more peaceful than the demonstration in 2014. The damage from this year’s protest is not known, however last year the cleanup operation cost local authorities €1 million ($1.13 million).
Academics Ball (Akademikerball), which is held at the Hofburg Palace, which recently replaced the controversial WKR Ball (Wiener Korporationsring-Ball) has traditionally drawn a lot of opposition from the left-wing and socialist residents of Austria’s capital, due to its connections with Europe’s far-right.