Tens of thousands demand equality in Swiss women’s strike

Thousands in the streets for the women's strike Keystone-SDA

Tens of thousands of women demonstrated in Swiss cities on Saturday afternoon to demand equal pay, an end to violence against women and safe access to voluntary abortion.

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In Geneva, for example, a large gathering formed at Cornavin train station by mid-afternoon, before marching towards the lake and crossing the Mont-Blanc bridge. Police counted 3,500 participants in the procession, while the Keystone-SDA news agency counted several thousand more. Slogans, far from focusing only on gender equality, often referred to the war in Gaza. Numerous Palestinian flags were seen amid the purple of the strike.

In Fribourg, the Feminist Strike collective said in a press release that the event had gathered 3,000 women, trans and non-binary people, and men. However, organisers complained that the route imposed by authorities prevented them passing by the station.

In Bern, a procession set off from the Schützenmatte square before making its way through the city centre to the Federal Palace in sweltering heat. According to a Keystone journalist, more than 10,000 people took part in the demonstration, held under the slogan “United in Resistance”.

The organisers put the number of participants at 35,000.

The demonstrators expressed their demands with slogans such as “My body – my choice” and “Your children all think queer”. A minute’s silence was observed in memory of all the women and queer people around the world who have been victims of patriarchal and sexualised violence.

In Zurich, well over 10,000 people marched through the city centre, according to cantonal police – 55,000 according to organisers. Many showed a sense of humour, with one holding up a sign reading “I’d rather be at the swimming pool”. Temperatures in Zurich reached 32°C on Saturday afternoon.

Around 5,000 people demonstrated in Basel, several thousand in Lucerne, 2,000 in St Gallen, and around 600 in Bellinzona.

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Adapted from French by DeepL/dos

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