Protest interrupts People’s Party campaign event
A campaign event sponsored by the conservative right Swiss People’s Party in Zurich main train station on Thursday turned into a minor riot when a group of leftwing protesters began drowning out party president Toni Brunner’s remarks with boos and catcalls.
About 40 activists threw smoke bombs and the police had to resort to tear gas in order to cordon off the location and bring the situation under control, as seen in a videoExternal link on the website of the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.
Police said five people were arrested. One person was slightly injured in scuffles.
The event had started peacefully earlier in the day, with beer and sausages, music and speeches about freedom and independence.
On hand were several prominent People’s Party candidates for election to the parliament in October, including the party president.
It was the first time that the train station had been used for a political event since the Federal Court approved a change in the regulations governing advertising in Swiss train stations in July 2012.
More
Wealth is not all: how gentrification in Zurich has led to housing shortage
More
How a top Swiss university is screening Chinese students
More
Switzerland, the promised land of coats of arms
More
How Swiss festive bad boy Schmutzli cleaned up his act
More
Swiss youth in vocational training seek jobs less prone to automation
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
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.