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Austria Gets Behind Russian Bikers' V-Day Ride to Berlin

© AFP 2023 / ALEXANDER KLEINThe Soviet War Memorial in Central Vienna. The Night Wolves plan to stop at the memorial on Saturday and pay their respects ahead of the 70th Anniversary of Victory.
The Soviet War Memorial in Central Vienna. The Night Wolves plan to stop at the memorial on Saturday and pay their respects ahead of the 70th Anniversary of Victory. - Sputnik International
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According to Austria's Contra Magazin, Austrian authorities have no plans to hinder the Night Wolves from riding through their country in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Allies' victory in Europe during the Second World War.

Despite claims by EU countries like Poland and Germany that they are governed by the rule of law, rather than by the arbitrary decisions of individuals in power, the recent hysteria surrounding Russian bikers' plans to travel to Berlin to commemorate Victory Day, including entry bans, seems to have demonstrated otherwise. - Sputnik International
EU Throws Rule of Law Out the Window in Arbitrarily Banning Russian Bikers
Contra states that Austrian authorities do not consider the bikers a threat to social order or to national security, and "do not plan to put any obstacles" in the bikers' way when they arrive on Saturday.

The magazine cites Vienna police spokesman Roman Hahslinger, who told the magazine that "we anticipate that everything will remain peaceful." The bikers plan to travel to the Schwarzenbergplatz, central Vienna, where they will lay a wreath at the Soviet War Memorial. According to the publication, their ride has generated a lot of interest from local residents.

A poll conducted on the magazine's website found that over 90 percent of its readers are in favor of the Night Wolves' free passage.

Commenting on the fact that Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany have denied the bikers entry, Contra argues that "Austria is just a little different from those EU states which are almost pathologically addicted to Russophobia."

The magazine comments on the absurdity of calling the bikers, who are carrying Soviet and Red Army flags, 'ultranationalist'.

The leader of the Russian motorcycling club Night Wolves, Alexander Zaldostanov, aka Khirurg (Surgeon) - Sputnik International
Russian Night Wolves Bikers Cross Border Into EU
Despite Poland's arbitrary decision to slap the Night Wolves with an entry ban earlier this week, the motorcycle club stated in their blog on Thursday that a group of bikers had successfully made their way into the EU. "In spite of the orders given at all the border posts 'don't let in the Night Wolves,' we have managed to cross the border," the post noted. The bikers vowed to continue their trip, saying that politics will not get in the way of historical memory.

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