Swiss police clear activists from Lafarge-Holcim quarry
Police in Western Switzerland launched an operation on Tuesday to remove protestors who have been occupying, since last October, a quarry owned by cement maker Lafarge-Holcim.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/RTS/Reuters/dos
Español
es
La policía suiza expulsa a activistas de cantera de Lafarge-Holcim
Police approached the camp early on Tuesday morning and asked the activists to leave the site; when their request was refused, they began forcibly removing the squatters one by one.
Some of the activists threw stones and shot fireworks at officers, who were carrying out a court order to evict them, police said.
By midday, 150 activists were cleared from the Mormont site, situated between Lausanne and Yverdon in canton Vaud, police said. They also detained 41 of these for questioning. Later in the afternoon, a dozen or so activists were still holding out, according to the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The activists first occupied the quarry last October, as a means of protesting plans by Lafarge-Holcim to expand it. The campaigners said they wanted to protect the local ecosystem from environmental damage.
More
More
Climate activists occupy Parliament Square
This content was published on
Several hundred protesters have pitched camp outside the Swiss parliament and the Swiss National Bank in Bern.
Lafarge-Holcim and the local commune of La Sarraz filed legal proceedings to remove the activists; Tuesday’s police operation follows the rejection of the campaigners’ legal appeals.
However, since October the environmental activists have also received attention and some support in the local area. Last Friday in Lausanne, as the evacuation date approached, around 1,000 people marched in support of the activists. A motion, signed by some 130 cantonal parliamentarians, has also been handed into the Vaud government, giving backing to the occupying movement.
Lafarge-Holcim has said that in terms of its carbon footprint, its Mormont site near the village of Ecéplens is one of the most energy-efficient in Europe. In the meantime, the proposed expansion of the quarry is uncertain. An objection lodged to the Federal Court is being examined.
This content was published on
A district court in Lausanne acquitted the activists, many of them students, on Monday. They were on trial after refusing to pay a fine of CHF21,600 ($22,254) for trespassing. Video footage from 2018 shows students dressed in tennis whites playing matches inside Credit Suisse branches. They wanted Swiss tennis star Roger Federer to drop his sponsorship deal with the bank because…
Macron will attend Swiss summit on Ukraine, says Zelensky
This content was published on
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the peace conference on Ukraine at the Swiss Bürgenstock resort next month, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Top politician tells ‘corrupt’ Eurovision to stay away from Bern
This content was published on
A social media post by the president of Bern’s cantonal government critical of the Eurovision Song Contest has created waves and will be discussed in the cantonal parliament.
Swiss centre records over 200 victims of human trafficking
This content was published on
Last year 317 people took part in a protection programme run by the Specialist Unit for Trafficking in Women and Women’s Migration (FIZ) in German-speaking Switzerland.
This content was published on
The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partners are opening a field hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
Lack of smartphone sustainability in Switzerland hits environment
This content was published on
Almost half of all Swiss citizens hang on to their old smartphones, tablets and laptops, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
Police clear out pro-Palestinian students protesting in Geneva
This content was published on
The police intervened early on Tuesday to dislodge pro-Palestinian students who had been occupying the University of Geneva for almost a week.
New gel developed in Zurich renders alcohol harmless
This content was published on
A newly developed gel composed of whey proteins breaks down alcohol in the body and could reduce its harmful and intoxicating effects in humans.
Pro-Palestine protests extend to Basel and Fribourg universities
This content was published on
Demonstrators called for an academic boycott of all Israeli institutions and disassociation with Chaim Weizmann, the first Israeli president.
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.
Read more
More
Climate activist in Geneva acquitted in vandalisation trial
This content was published on
An appeals court has acquitted a climate activist who was caught painting a bank building in the Swiss city of Geneva two years ago.
Climate activists acquitted over bank protest action
This content was published on
Five environmental activists are acquitted by a Basel criminal court of charges relating to protest action outside a UBS bank in Basel in 2019.
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.