Swiss police block traveller convoy on motorway

The travellers refused the orders of the Vaud and Valais cantonal police to exit the motorway. Consequently, the police decided to block the convoy at Saint-Maurice. Keystone-SDA

Around 50 caravans belonging to members of a travelling community attempting to enter canton Valais in southern Switzerland without prior warning were blocked by police on the motorway to prevent their unauthorised entry.

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At around 11:30am on Tuesday several dozen caravans with French number plates belonging to travellers were driving on the A9 motorway from canton Vaud towards Saint-Maurice, the Valais cantonal police reported.

From Villeneuve, the travellers refused the orders of the Vaud and Valais cantonal police to exit the motorway. Consequently, the police decided to block the convoy at Saint-Maurice.

Valais has only one official site for travellers, located in Martigny, and it is currently fully occupied. “We do not tolerate illegal settlements,” the Valais police said.

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In order to prevent access to canton Valais, the police deployed a major operation. For safety reasons, the motorway section between Bex and Saint-Maurice towards Sion and between Martigny and Bex towards Vevey was closed.

A diversion was set up on local cantonal roads causing traffic jams. The Valais police also activated plan COBRA, a general mobilisation of all units of the Valais cantonal police.

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The traveller community in question had left canton Neuchâtel earlier on Tuesday morning, where they had stayed. They had previously contacted the owner of a field in Gampel, canton Valais, where they hoped to stay. However, the local council refused. The owner in turn terminated the contract.

After an eight-hour stand-off with the police, the 150 travellers finally turned around and headed back with their caravans to Vue-des-Alpes, canton Neuchâtel, from where they had originally come from. They were escorted by the Vaud police.

The travellers’ lawyer, Pierre Ventura, said there was no justification for the Valais police blocking the motorway. “These are French citizens who, under the terms of the free movement of persons agreement, are allowed to travel on Swiss territory,” he told told Swiss public television, RTS.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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