About 50,000 Protest in Vienna Against Education Budget Cuts
VIENNA — About 50,000 teachers, students and parents marched in the Austrian capital Vienna on October 22 to protest the government's planned education budget cuts, according to Anadolu Agency. Demonstrators said the cuts would enlarge class sizes, reduce teaching posts and harm the quality of education.
Universities including TU Wien had publicly called on staff and students to join the rally, saying the effective reduction amounts to about 10% and would directly hit research and teaching. Unions demanded that the government withdraw the cuts and reopen talks with the education sector on funding arrangements.
The Austrian government is pursuing fiscal consolidation to contain public debt, with education among the affected areas. Protest organisers said further action, including strikes, could follow if the government does not revise its plans.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 维也纳奥地利议会大厦 / Austrian Parliament Building, Vienna。图片：© Ank Kumar / CC BY-SA 4.0，Wikimedia Commons
