Berne demonstrators support the Palestinians
Rising tension between Israel and the Palestinians has been marked by demonstrations worldwide. On Saturday, around 600 people demonstrated for the Palestinian side in the Swiss capital, Berne.
The crowd, mainly Arab-Swiss residents, carried Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and photographs of victims of recent clashes in the Middle East.
They shouted anti-Israeli slogans, and called for an international inquiry into the upsurge of violence in the region.
They also criticised the international community, and Switzerland’s political parties, for their passive attitude, and attacked the media for what they called its unbalanced coverage of the conflict.
There was a reinforced police presence at the Israeli embassy in Berne, access to which is normally blocked. But the demonstrators, who had their own stewards, did not try to approach the building, and dispersed without incident.
swissinfo with agencies
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