Thousands take part in Zurich bicycle demonstration
Several motorists complained that bicycle protesters had sought to provoke them.
Keystone
Several thousand cyclists took police by surprise by attending a mass demonstration in Zurich to highlight the dangers posed by motorised traffic.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Two people were slightly injured during the demonstration on Friday evening. Zurich police said they had received several complaints of verbal altercations between demonstrators and motorists but did not indicate that anyone had been arrested.
Witnesses reported up to 10,000 cyclists taking to the streets, some deliberately blocking roads and causing traffic jams in several areas of the city.
The demonstration was organised by the Critical MassExternal link movement, which began in San Francisco in 1992 and now takes place in several cities around the world. Its purpose is to bring attention to the hazards that motorists present to cyclists on roads.
Police say the demonstration started at around 6.30pm and continued well into the night. Many demonstrators defied coronavirus social distancing rules and failed to wear face masks.
But police appear to have restricted their action to calming flash points where motorists complained of being provoked by demonstrators “in a variety of ways”.
Further demos
The Zurich demonstration was followed on Saturday by up to 2,000 people gathering in the French-speaking city of Lausanne to protest against the proposed tightening of anti-terror laws. Voters will decide on an initiative on June 13 that calls for the controversial law change to be scrapped.
Also on Saturday, around 20 demonstrators defied a ban on protesting in the northwestern town of Solothurn against the pandemic lockdown restrictions. The authorities had refused to allow the “Silent Protest” following a large demonstration in Neuchatel last weekend.
Solothurn police isolated the handful of protesters and say they prevented another 120 people from joining the demonstration. No arrests were made.
Around 1,000 people in Geneva protested against both anti-terror laws and pandemic lockdown measures. Voters will also challenge the government’s powers in curbing the pandemic on June 13.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Swiss town rejects surveillance cameras at train station
This content was published on
Vevey does not want the station area to be monitored by cameras. In a vote held on Sunday, the population rejected a plan to install 44 cameras in the area in order to combat street dealing.
Palestine demo broken up at Israel-Switzerland basketball match
This content was published on
Around 150 pro-Palestine activists tried to force their way into Switzerland's match against Israel at the U-19 World Cup in Lausanne.
Swiss foreign minister: ‘EU was only given what was necessary’
This content was published on
After negotiating hard on the package deal with the European Union and finding a balance, Switzerland gave the EU only what was needed, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on Saturday.
Passenger dies in helicopter crash on Swiss glacier
This content was published on
A helicopter crashed in the Fusshörner region on the Oberaletsch Glacier in canton Valais on Saturday afternoon. The passenger in the helicopter, which was carrying three people, died.
Abbot of Saint-Maurice steps down following sex abuse report
This content was published on
Jean Scarcella has decided to step down as Abbot of Saint-Maurice in the Swiss canton of Valais, the abbey announced on Saturday.
Philipp Matthias Bregy named new president of Centre Party
This content was published on
Valais National Councillor Philipp Matthias Bregy is the new President of the Centre Party. The delegates elected him as the successor to Gerhard Pfister on Saturday in Bern without discussion.
Global call for active neutrality launched from Geneva
This content was published on
A number of players have launched a worldwide appeal for active neutrality in Geneva at a time when the major powers are taking a tougher line. The city is competing with Vienna to attract an international congress on this issue in 2026.
Urban dwellers want more bike paths, less traffic noise
This content was published on
Residents in Swiss cities are happy with public transport services, but they would like to see better bicycle infrastructure.
Swiss bicycle lobby content with cycle path pledge
This content was published on
The initiative, with 105,000 signatures, was handed in to the Federal Chancellery a year ago. In addition to an expansion of the national cycle path network, the initiative also demanded enough parking space for bicycles, zones with 30-kilometre-per-hour (19mph) speed restrictions, a system of fast- and slow track lanes, fewer traffic lights, and an increased…
Swiss cities ‘groaning under flood of demonstrations’
This content was published on
Swiss residents are taking to the streets more than ever, with the capital Bern expected to see 300 demos for the first time this year.
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.