Six climate activists who glued themselves to a motorway during the traditional Easter holiday rush have been released by the police.
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Tages Anzeiger/ac
On Friday morning, members of “Renovate Switzerland” had glued themselves to the motorway in front of the north entrance to the Gotthard tunnel, where every year huge tailbacks gather as holidaymakers flock south for Easter. They were dislodged by the police in half an hour and temporarily held for questioning before being released.
“We have learned and prepared from similar operations by other police corps,” said Thorsten Imhof, Uri Police in an interview published by the Tages Anzeiger paperExternal link on Saturday.
Even before the activists turned up, a 15-kilometre jam had been reported at the entrance to the tunnel. This grew another kilometre when the road was closed in both directions for an hour due to the protest. The activists could face charges relating to coercion, non-compliance with police instructions and unauthorised access to the motorway.
Renovate Switzerland’s demands include the declaration of a “climate emergency” in Switzerland and a large-scale modernisation of one million Swiss homes to make them more energy-efficient. They say this should be done by 2035.
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