The anti-war protests in Vienna and Salzburg on 20 March, partly led by the ISR and SLP, Austrian section of the CWI, demanded strike action by the unions as part of the international movement. Between 10.000 – 15.000 school students took to the streets on day X in Vienna following the call of ISR and the official school student representation in Vienna. The ÖGB (trade union federation) youth sector joined the mobilisation. The media coverage was quite good. The demo passed the ÖGB headquarters, the University and the US Embassy. One of the main slogans alongside "strike against war" was "education not bombs". Also the far right Austrian government was attacked for its policy of militarisation.

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March 20 Anti-war protests demand strike action

Many contacts for ISR were made, and youth from southern Austria went on strike and came to Vienna for the demo.

In the evening another demo with 8,000 people took place in Vienna.

The protests in Salzburg in the evening saw up to 2.000 people with the ISR group being the dynamic factor. The publicly made proposal of a joint meeting of activists to organise a school student strike in Salzburg within the next two weeks got very positive and warm response.

The SLP also intervened in the anti-war-rally in Linz, one of the important industrial cities of Austria.

We plan to hold a big youth-against-the-war rally with planning next steps to build the movement, discussing the development of the war and the way out of the crisis: international blockades and strike action by working people and youth to bring the belligerent governments to a downfall. The SLP is arguing for the struggle for a socialist alternative to this capitalist crisis. Therefore we urge anti-war-activists to start discussions with us about joining the ranks of the CWI.

Franz Breier Jun, Sozialistische LinksPartei, Vienna

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