Thousands protest against Covid measures in Switzerland
At the weekend, several thousand people took to Swiss streets to protest against Switzerland’s measures to reduce the effects of Covid-19, RTS reported.
In Lausanne, between 800 and 1000 people demonstrated against Covid certificates and restrictions on individual freedom. Violence or property damage were not reported.
In Lugano, calls from an association called Friends of the Constitution around 400 protesters took to the streets. This protest, which followed earlier ones in Bellinzona and Locarno, was calm.
In German-speaking Switzerland, there were two notable protests in Baden and Rapperswil-Jona. In Baden, the police reported around 1,500 demonstrators, who were accompanied by “freedom trysts” waving a cowbell. This protest was reportedly approved and peaceful. The largest gathering of demonstrators over the weekend reportedly took place in Rapperswil-Jona, where around 3,000 people marched to a parking lot for a series of speeches.
Over the weekend, Bern, where there were a number of violent protests against Covid measures, was the scene of around 300 people who marched in support of the government’s Covid measures, which the group described as an act of solidarity to end the crisis.
After weeks of protests, the Bern police are now demanding that the demonstrators replace the damage caused. A dozen unauthorized protests in the city have sparked violence, the police force has been overused and, in some cases, tear gas and rubber bullets have been used. The Bern security chief Reto Nause described the situation as out of control. The city has engaged in dialogue and approved protests. However, there is illicit protest and violence every Thursday, he said RTS.
An initiative for a second referendum to repeal Switzerland’s Covid laws has collected a record of 187,000 signatures within four weeks. The vote, scheduled for November 28, 2021, has a number of supporters in parliament. An earlier referendum on June 13, 2021 could not repeal Switzerland’s Covid laws.
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