Five environmental activists have been acquitted by a Basel criminal court of charges relating to protest action that blocked access to a UBS bank building in Basel in 2019. For some charges, there was insufficient evidence, the judge said.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/SWI swissinfo.ch/ilj
The protestors had been appealing fines handed down by the Basel justice authorities for charges that included trespassing, causing damage to private property and breach of the peace. The charge of breach of the peace was dropped at the beginning of the trial. UBS had withdrawn its criminal complaint in December.
Handing down her verdict, the judge said that she considered there to be no charges in relation to the peaceful demonstration. Criminal damage was unproven for four of the five defendants and very small in the case of the fifth, the judge said.
On July 8, 2019 activists blocked the main entrance to UBS in Basel to protest against investments and projects they considered damaging to the climate and the environment. They had also daubed coal on the building’s façade and left branches outside the entrance.
Activists in Zurich also blocked the entrance to the main Credit Suisse bank headquarters in what was a coordinated day of action. More than 80 people were arrested in Zurich and Basel as a result.
In reaction to Friday’s judgement, the Collective Climate Justice group saidExternal link that it hoped that the acquittal would also be extended to the around 50 other activists concerned by court proceedings.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
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
Climate protestors take their case to court
This content was published on
Environmental activists have announced they will challenge in court their summary punishments for blocking access to Swiss banks last week.
This content was published on
The act of protest coincided with the start of the summer holidays and was tolerated because it did not disrupt flight operations, according to airport spokesman Philipp Bircher, who was cited by Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA. The airport had been informed of the protest plans beforehand. According to Stefan Oberlin of the Zurich Cantonal Police,…
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.