Angry motorists hit environmental activists as they tried to block traffic in Austria (6 photos)

On May 18, seven members of the Extinction Rebellion and Letzte Generation movements blocked the roundabout leading to the A14 motorway in Hohenems, Austria, located near the border with Switzerland. But the drivers did not stand on ceremony with the protesters.





In the footage, several men try to deal with the activists, grab them and throw them to the side of the road. In one of the videos, a motorist pushes a demonstrator wearing a high-visibility vest onto the sidewalk and then shouts at her.



And another photo shows a hit-and-run on an elderly man. The driver then got out of the car and pulled the victim off the road.



The activists wanted to draw the government's attention to climate issues with their actions and did not expect to encounter violence. They ended up sitting on the side of the road and crying.



According to local police, three people suffered abrasions and minor injuries as a result of the incident.

“In a very short period of time, a traffic jam developed on the highway, which brought all traffic to a standstill in the area,” the officer commented.

However, activists claim that the traffic jam was not their fault.



Extinction Rebellion campaigner Marina Hagen-Canaval said: "It's shocking to me that people are acting this way because of an expected traffic jam that we didn't create."



Police chased the protesters off the road. One activist who violated the order was detained, but was soon released. Authorities are reviewing the footage to decide whether they will take action against any of the road users.