The public square in front of the Swiss parliament building was the site of a protest Saturday against the government's lockdown measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Keystone / Manuel Lopez
Demonstrators unhappy with measures to fight Covid-19 rallied in front of the parliament building in the Swiss capital on Saturday afternoon, before police intervened.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/gw
Português
pt
Polícia acaba com protesto contra isolamento em Berna
Bern cantonal police said it had asked the protesters to leave the Bundesplatz repeatedly and even threatened them with prosecution. Two hours after people began assembling, the police finally resorted to clearing the square.
The police, who performed checks on several dozen demonstrators, did not say how many people had protested in defiance of the Covid-19 Ordinance, which bans gatherings of more than five people, among other measures designed to slow the spread of the virus. The local newspaper Berner Zeitung said there were about 300 participants.
External Content
Rund 300 Personen demonstrierten am Samstag auf dem Bundesplatz für die Aufhebung des Lockdowns. Die Polizei löste die Kundgebung auf. https://t.co/1r7Yf4kMJvExternal link
Police are pursuing investigations into the incident.
On Friday police in Bern had broken up gatherings, including one of young people in small groups who were marching from the Rosengarten park to the Bear Park in the Old Town.
Police also intervened in Zurich to break up small gatherings of May 1 demonstrators, although a rally attended by an estimated 400 people in Basel –Switzerland’s largest Labour Day protest this year – was tolerated by the authorities.
More
More
Bern in the time of coronavirus
This content was published on
Former swissinfo.ch journalist Gaby Ochsenbein describes the unprecedented situation in the Swiss capital, Bern, caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Swiss federal office sees no reason to end deportations of asylum-seekers to Croatia
This content was published on
Switzerland's State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) continues to deport asylum-seekers to Croatia. It thus rejects a demand from the Swiss Refugee Council in mid-February, which called for a halt to the returns.
ChatGPT responds to negative emotions and therapy, research shows
This content was published on
Stressful information can also cause anxiety in artificial intelligence (AI). As scientists in Zurich have shown, it's even possible to calm the GPT-4 AI model with mindfulness exercises.
Mortgage benchmark fall paves way for potential rent cuts in Switzerland
This content was published on
Switzerland’s national benchmark for mortgage costs dropped to the level it had before the global inflation surge, paving the way for potential rent reductions.
Switzerland ‘deeply concerned’ by Trump’s death penalty order
This content was published on
Switzerland has told the UN Human Rights Council that it is "deeply concerned" by US President Donald Trump's recent executive order to strengthen capital punishment at federal and state level.
Blatter, Platini return to court for new fraud trial over CHF2 million FIFA payment
This content was published on
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Platini appeared in court in Switzerland on Monday accused of fraud - 2.5 years after they were cleared.
Israel criticises Swiss decision to host Middle East conference in Geneva on Friday
This content was published on
Israel has condemned Switzerland for planning to host a meeting on international humanitarian law in the Middle East next Friday in Geneva.
Centre Party’s Franziska Biner elected to Valais government
This content was published on
Voters in canton Valais in southern Switzerland elected Franziska Biner to the cantonal government in the first round of voting, beating off more established politicians.
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
Swiss consumer habits changed by coronavirus
This content was published on
Coronavirus lockdown has changed Swiss consumer habits as well as reduced the use of cash and cash machines, according to a survey.
This content was published on
Visits to Swiss restaurants, shopping centres or museums plummeted by 81% in March, according to location data from users’ phones collected by Google.
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.