Around 50,000 students and academics marched in Vienna against university budget cuts
Students and university employees marched from TU Wien through the city, demanding higher, stable funding for public universities.
About 50,000 students, university staff, teachers and researchers marched through Vienna in a large protest against what organisers described as insufficient funding for the country's public universities. The demonstration was called by the Austrian Students' Union.
The rally began at the Technical University (TU Wien) at Karlsplatz, where organisers say roughly 20,000 people initially gathered. Additional groups of students and university personnel joined from side streets as the procession advanced, swelling the ranks.
Marchers carried numerous banners and flags from student and academic organisations. Prominent slogans displayed during the procession included "Today's cuts are tomorrow's crises", "Our universities are our future" and "Education is the future".
Demand for more long-term funding
The Austrian government has set aside about €16 billion for the country's 23 public universities across the three-year budget period 2028–2030. The university conference Uniko says that at least €18 billion is needed merely to cover rising costs and to maintain current operations.
Universities warn that the shortfall could force job reductions, cuts to course offerings and a deterioration of study and research conditions. Uniko has already cautioned that roughly ten percent of staff could be affected by the proposed budget reductions and is calling for stable, long-term financing for public higher education.
Photo: press material from the event
