Fourteen people who took part in a pro-Palestinian protest near the Eurovision Song Contest venue in Vienna were arrested on Saturday before the start of the competition's final.
The individuals arrested held an unregistered demonstration against Israel’s participation to the contest and violated a ban on face coverings, a police spokeswoman told dpa.
The demonstrators had gathered on the steps of the city’s main library, chanting slogans and holding placards.
As officers carried members of an initial group of protesters down the steps, a second group moved into their position.
The library is located at a metro station close to the Vienna Stadthalle, the venue where the contest is being held.
Earlier in the day, several thousand people took part in a separate demonstration in Vienna against Israel’s participation in the international music competition. That protest passed peacefully, with no arrests or major incidents, a police spokesman told dpa.
