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Over the weekend, several thousand people took to Swiss streets to protest against Switzerland’s measures to reduce the impact of Covid-19, reported RTS.
In Lausanne, between 800 and 1,000 people marched in protest against Covid certificates and restrictions on individual liberty. No violence or property damage was reported.
In Lugano, calls from an association named friends of the constitution drew around 400 protestors to the streets. This protest, which followed earlier ones in Bellinzona and Locarno, took place calmly.
In German-speaking Switzerland, two notable protests took place in Baden and Rapperswil-Jona. In Baden, the police reported around 1,500 protestors who were accompanied by cowbell wielding “Freiheitstrychler”. This protest was reportedly authorised and peaceful. The largest gathering of protestors over the weekend was reportedly in Rapperswil-Jona where around 3,000 people marched to a carpark for a series of speeches.
Over the weekend, Bern, which has seen a string of violent protests against Covid measures, was the scene of around 300 people marching in support government Covid measures, which were described by the group as an act of solidarity aimed at ending the crisis.
After several weeks of protests, Bern police are now calling for any damage caused to be paid for by protestors. A dozen unauthorised protests in the city have turned violent, stretched police resources and in some cases involved the use of tear gas and rubber bullets. Reto Nause, the head of security in Bern, described the situation as out of control. The city has engaged in dialog and authorised protests. However, every Thursday there is an unauthorised protest and violence, he told RTS.
An initiative for a second referendum to reverse Switzerland’s Covid laws gathered a record 187,000 signatures over four weeks. The vote, scheduled for 28 November 2021, has a number supporters in parliament. An earlier referendum on 13 June 2021 failed to overturn Switzerland’s Covid laws.
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