Planned government restrictions for full-face veils and headscarves drew some 2,000 protesters to the streets in central Vienna on Saturday, according to police.
The Muslim groups that organized the protest spoke of 3,600 participants.
The cabinet unveiled tough new immigration, integration and security policies on Monday that include a ban on wearing full-face veils in public, as well as a de-facto ban on headscarves for justice and police officials.
“Every woman must be able to move freely in public without harassment and discrimination - no matter what she does or does not wear,” a Muslim youth organization that took part in the protest said in a statement on Facebook.
Demonstrators also spoke out against increased surveillance powers for police and against restrictions of demonstration rights that have been proposed by Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka of the centre-right People’s Party.
While there is no broad opposition against the veil and headscarf restrictions in Austria, Sobotka has been criticized by a wide range of civil society groups for his security plans.
Sobotka’s proposals are widely seen as an effort to outrun the anti-immigration Freedom Party, which has led in opinion polls since 2015.