Difference

My final comment (promise) on the Bush visit is a quotation from the Süddeutsche Zeitung:

In May, the authorities in Vienna showed how discreet high security can be when they protected 60 heads of state and government during the summit between the EU and the Latin American states.

Of course, the single visitor from the northern part of the American continent demands a different degree of attention.

I'm pretty convinced that this is not about security at all. It's about showing authority, about bullying others into submission.

Update: In other news, Betablogger has some dialogues (in German) that illustrate the Viennese position on authority in the face of George W. Bush and the Austrian police. [via novala]

Update: In some American online media I found references to "hundreds" or "350" people protesting against President Bush in Vienna on Wednesday. However, the Austrian police, whose counts are usually very conservative, announced that there had been some 15,000 protesters, and the committee organising the demonstration spoke of at least 20,000 participants.