Large anti-capitalist protest in Bern causes no major incident

The unauthorised protest went off without major incidents, unlike a similar demonstration a year ago. Keystone-SDA

Around 1,000 people took part in an unauthorised demonstration against capitalism and imperialism in the Swiss capital Bern on Sunday. The police, deployed in large numbers, prevented a march through the city centre. There were no major incidents.

The police reached this conclusion on Sunday evening. All roadblocks had been lifted, it announced on X. However, one person had been stopped who felt disturbed by the demonstration and was carrying several knives. They were taken away for further investigation. In addition, the police carried out identity checks and seized materials. There were also incidents of vandalism.

The unidentified organisers had called for a rally to mark the first anniversary of the Gaza demonstration that had escalated. In October 2025, during several hours of violent unrest in the city centre, police officers, demonstrators and bystanders were been injured. There was also extensive damage to property.

This time, the organisers had announced that they wanted to avoid a “confrontational demonstration”. They opted for a decentralised approach with several assembly points. The largest crowd gathered in the afternoon at the Rosengarten, a popular meeting place for families and tourists.

Route dictated by the police

From there, the demonstrators marched through the outlying districts towards the Reitschule. They were accompanied by numerous police officers, including some from other cantons. Using loudspeaker announcements, the police made it clear that they would not permit any other route.

A few groups heeded calls on the internet and were out and about elsewhere in the city. The calls mentioned, for example, UBS, the Amthaus and the Raiffeisenbank. However, the cantonal police were also omnipresent in the city centre. Shortly after midday, they had already begun carrying out targeted identity checks, as they reported on the messaging service X.

Against occupations and repression

The rally was generally directed against capitalism and imperialism. The demonstrators called for an end to military occupations and state repression, as well as for the protection of indigenous peoples and the restoration of their historical land rights and rights to self-determination.

The procession was characterised by people wearing the keffiyeh – the Palestinian headscarf – and numerous chants of “Free, free Palestine”. Signs bearing the word “Israhell” were also visible, a correspondent for the Keystone-SDA news agency reported.

The violence at the 2025 Gaza demonstration had caused a major political stir. On Sunday, both the cantonal director of security, Philippe Müller, and Alec von Graffenried, the city councillor responsible for the city of Bern, were on site monitoring the events.

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Translated from German/reviewed by an English Department journalist.