Story By: Kathryn Quinn, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News 

Police are investigating after the Christmas trees erected to stop homeless people sleeping on park benches at a Christmas market were destroyed by activists.

According to local media the local council in he city of Linz, in Upper Austria turned park benches near a popular Advent market in a local park into Christmas tree stands to stop homeless people sleeping on them.

Following outrage over the heartless plan to stop homeless getting a place to sleep, a group of activists allegedly cut down the trees.

The city of Linz has reported the damage to the trees to police who confirm they are investigating the case.

The decision to put up the trees was made by the conservative People’s party department responsible for markets led by Deputy Mayor Bernhard Baier.

It was also criticised by his colleague, mayor Klaus Luger from the social Democrats. He said: “I find it completely unacceptable. I was shocked, when I read the story in the daily newspaper.”

Baier had claimed that the trees were only placed there as they were to be decorated by children for the third year in a row. But it was questioned why they had to be placed there and not a few metres away.

Stefan Giegler from the SPOe said: “it is all very strange We expected that our Deputy Mayor would show a Christian Social approach to this. The reply that this has been done for the last three years is just so bureaucratic. The children could decorate the trees elsewhere.”

Images of the benches where the homeless people sometimes sleep despite the intense cold were posted online by local media Linza.at which described them sarcastically as an: “Innovative Christmas solution for the beggar benches in the Linzer Volksarten park.”

They added: “In order to have a disturbance free, magic Christmas market available to visitors, the public benches have been turned into Christmas tree stands. The Christmas rebels could not have been ringing more sweetly.”

The decision was made by the conservative People’s party department responsible for markets led by Deputy Mayor Bernhard Baier. It was also criticised by his colleague, mayor Klaus Luger from the social Democrats. He said: “I find it completely unacceptable. I was shocked, when I read the story in the daily newspaper.”

The pictures showed how the Christmas tree stands have been put directly in front of the benches making them unusable in order to make sure that the benches were not slept on by beggars and homeless people.

On the Facebook page of Linza.at angry locals expressed their disgust.

‘Susanna Aigenbauer’ wrote: “Christmas would have been even better if there wasn’t any need for beggars benches.”

‘Gabriella Egger’ added: “It is time to think about others and therefore the advent market in Linz is somewhere I won’t be going this year. This action has nothing to do with Christmas. It is very sad when appearance becomes more important than humanity.”

And ‘Rainer Benatzky’ said: “Great to drive away the homeless. That way visitors to the advent market don’t have to look at poverty and instead can give their euros for unnecessary plastic rubbish.”

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