Around 20,000 people attend Austrian pro-refugee rally

Around 20,000 people have attended a demonstration in support of a humanitarian refugee policy in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Monday evening.

The non-political rally had initially been called for by an individual, Nadia Rida, under the title "Being human in Austria." The call for attendees included a Facebook page, and eventually attracted the attention of several NGOs.

After beginning at 18:00 pm local time, police initially estimated attendee numbers by 18:30 pm at 3,000 or more, and a continued influx took the total to about 20,000 by 20:00 pm, the growing numbers forcing the route the group walked along to be changed continually.

They had first rallied at the Christian-Broda-Platz before marching along the Mariahilferstrasse, a main shopping strip of the city, before ending at the Museumsquartier.

Rather than stop there as has initially been intended, however, the group continued on to the Austrian parliament, where the rally ended.

Organizers had encouraged the attendees to either wear white clothes or bring a white flag as a symbol of peace.

The authorities said the rally ran peacefully and that no disturbances were reported.

Source: XINHUA