Left-wing extremists in Switzerland call for ‘militant’ rallies on May 1

Left-wing activists clash with police at the May Day parade demonstration on Langstrasse on Labor Day in Zurich on May 1, 2024. Keystone / Ennio Leanza

Left-wing extremist groups are mobilising on social media. The violent activist scene is a focal point for the intelligence community.

A black submachine gun on a red star: RAF, Red Army Faction. For some, the left-wing terrorist group in Germany is apparently still a role model today. The RAF logo is part of the current mobilisation campaign of left-wing extremist groups for May Day.

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Posts from various groups are calling for a “revolutionary afternoon demonstration” in Zurich. Such “after-demonstrations” have repeatedly resulted in graffiti, property damage, and attacks on the police in recent years. Similar calls are also circulating for Bern and Basel.

Metre-long red paint trail on Zurich’s Langstrasse

Other slogans include “Eat the rich” and “Bonze uf de Grill“. As a foretaste, a group from Zurich paid a nighttime visit to private security firms Securitas and SIP Zurich a few days ago, as the post states. Both institutions were perceived as “ensuring peace and order in capitalism.”

Windows and walls were vandalised, including slogans such as “Youth strike back.” A video also appeared on Tuesday showing Zurich’s Langstrasse covered in red paint for several meters.

Intelligence service registers 200 violent left-wing extremist events annually

The Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) recorded at least 200 violent left-wing extremist incidents annually between 2016 and 2022. New figures will follow.

FIS communications director Linda von Burg says violent left-wing extremism remains a hot topic: “The violent left-wing extremist scenes primarily direct their actions against security forces and against individuals they perceive as right-wing extremists. Typical examples include counter-protests to right-wing events or riots at demonstrations. In addition to violence against individuals, property damage is also a frequent occurrence.”

The commander of the Bern Cantonal Police, Christian Brenzikofer, rejects the idea that the police themselves are aggressive – an accusation sometimes heard from the left. He says they want to de-escalate the situation, but sometimes it’s necessary to take decisive action. The mood is increasingly being heated online.

Paint attacks from the cover of a rally

In addition to demonising the police, security services, banks, and insurance companies, chocolatier Läderach has also been repeatedly targeted by graffiti and spray-painting. The owner family is perceived as a fundamentalist or Fundis. The former boss was accused by former students of punishing children at a non-denominational school. He denies this. The company declined to comment on the attacks.

An example of how shops are sometimes attacked from the protection of demonstrations can be seen in the 2022 women’s strike in Lucerne.

A video exclusively obtained by public broadcaster SRF’s 10vor10 programme shows two people breaking away from the rally. At least one of them spray-painted the Läderach shop window. The two then disappeared into the crowd. They changed their clothes inside a vehicle – the action was well-thought-out and seemingly tolerated by other demonstrators. The organisers did not respond to inquiries from 10vor10.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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