Demonstrators gathered in front of the federal parliament building on Thursday evening
Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
Police used a water cannon, rubber bullets and irritant spray to break up an illegal demonstration against coronavirus measures that turned violent in the Swiss capital Bern on Thursday night.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/SRF/Bern cantonal police/ilj
Español
es
Violenta protesta en Berna contra medidas anti-COVID
“After several warnings from police, participants pushed against the barriers in front of the federal parliament building and attacked police and the emergency services, which meant that measures had to be taken,” a Bern cantonal police statementExternal link said.
One person was injured in a scuffle between groups of people, the statement added.
According to the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA, an estimated 3,000-4,000 people gathered on the square in front of Bern main station at about 7.30pm on Thursday evening. They then moved through the city centre towards parliament.
Some participants then pushed against the protective barriers, shook them or tried to lift them up, before receiving warnings from police. Objects, as well as fireworks and firecrackers, were also thrown at officers and the emergency services, the statement said.
Police used a water cannon in parliament square
Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
After this, police intervened. The city of Bern’s head of security Reto Nause said only a small amount of irritant was sprayed. The demonstration was broken up by around 10pm.
Further investigations into the incident and possible damage to property are ongoing, police said.
On Friday, politicians criticised the violence outside the parliament building.
“I unreservedly condemn all acts of violence against people, private or public property,” said Swiss President Guy Parmelin. “We must be clear: we have all the democratic instruments to assert our opinions.”
The presidents of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Andreas Aebi and Alex Kuprecht, also condemned the violence on Thursday night.
“The behaviour of the violent demonstrators is not Swiss. We’ll only defeat the virus if we’re all part of the solution,” they declared in a joint tweet.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
The Böögg, Switzerland’s exploding psychic snowman
Living longer: What do you think about the longevity trend?
The longevity market is booming thanks in part to advances in the science of ageing. What do you think of the idea of significantly extending human lifespan?
Switzerland to give millions to three UN organisations
This content was published on
Switzerland is supporting Unicef, UN Women and the UN Population Fund this year with a total of CHF39 million ($47 million).
Electricity reserves still needed in Switzerland in midterm
This content was published on
Switzerland's energy supply remains uncertain. Electricity reserves are still needed in the medium term, the Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom) said.
ICRC says next few days will be ‘decisive’ for aid to Gaza
This content was published on
The next few days will be absolutely decisive if the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to continue providing aid in the Gaza Strip, said its director-general Pierre Krähenbühl.
Switzerland unveils a national drought-detection system
This content was published on
Switzerland launched on Thursday a new national system for detecting drought and warning the population and authorities in advance.
Federal coffers to get CHF100 million boost from Swiss Post
This content was published on
Swiss Post will pay a dividend of CHF100 million ($121 million) to the Confederation this year, the company announced on Thursday.
Swiss Federal Railways satisfied with bodycams for transport police
This content was published on
Since the introduction of body-worn cameras, the frequency of assaults on Swiss Federal Railways transport police has fallen by 25%.
Zurich cantonal government to compensate victims of forced labour
This content was published on
Victims of past forced labour measures in canton Zurich could soon apply to receive a one-off solidarity compensation of CHF25,000 ($30,255).
Risk of a real-estate bubble in Switzerland grew in first quarter
This content was published on
The risk of a bubble in the Swiss property market increased slightly in the first three months of the year compared with the previous quarter, says UBS.
French authorities order Nestlé to remove its filtration system
This content was published on
Authorities in the south of France have served formal notice to Nestlé Waters, a subsidiary of the Swiss food giant, to "withdraw within two months" its microfiltration system for its Perrier mineral water.
Switzerland says pushbacks at border by Germany are unlawful
This content was published on
Switzerland considers Germany's planned systematic pushbacks at the border to be contrary to existing law, the department of justice has said.
Swiss government limits access to restaurants to Covid certificate holders
This content was published on
The government has extended the use of the Covid certificate to indoor public spaces such as restaurants, cinemas and fitness centres.
This content was published on
As of Monday Switzerland requires a Covid certificate for all indoor activities. What does this mean for people with vaccines not recognised by the Swiss?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.