Thousands gather in Swiss capital to show solidarity with Palestinians

© Keystone / Anthony Anex

Thousands of people demonstrated their solidarity with the Palestinians at the parliament square in Bern on Saturday.

Demonstrators travelled to Bern from all over Switzerland. The large square in front of the federal parliament filled up quickly. Because it was raining heavily and the participants were sheltering under umbrellas, it was difficult to estimate their numbers. The organisers claim around 10,000 participants.

At the pro-Palestinian rally, participants called for an end to the violence in Gaza. Speakers emphasised that they deplored the violence and civilian casualties on all sides.

Nevertheless, hardly anyone giving speeches made secret of the fact that Israel is seen as the occupying power of the Palestinian territories, which must ultimately be liberated. Speakers accused the state of Israel of operating an apartheid system and ethnic cleansing. They claimed the system only works because the US and European nations provide financial and military aid.

The rally participants chanted “Israel Terrorist” as well as the controversial slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. The slogan has been labelled anti-Semitic by Israelis, as it denies Israel’s right to exist.

Heated but not violent

The atmosphere at the rally was loud and at times heated, but not violent. The police were present, but remained in the background with a larger contingent.

Where they noticed flags or banners with problematic content, they intervened. In some cases, the police also took people to the police station. Removal orders were also issued.

There were no riots and the event remained peaceful. The rally organisers repeatedly warned participants not to hold up any flags other than the Palestinian flag. The demonstrators were also asked to follow the police’s security instructions and not to attach anything to the fence separating the square from the parliament. The demonstrators complied with these instructions. The demonstration broke up at around 4 pm.

The demonstration was called by several dozen mainly smaller organisations and groups such as Bern for Palestine, which had previously organised rallies in Bern. Supporters of the rally also included the Communist Party, the Labour Party and the Migrant Solidarity Network.

The pro-Palestinian side had already organised two previous rallies in Bern. The city of Bern authorised the events. The question of authorisation is decided on a case-by-case basis, said Reto Nause, Director of Security for the City of Bern. Among other things, the city examines the organiser and the desired route, but also the tone with which the rally is called.

Strike and counter-strike

Hostilities between Israelis and the Palestinians flared up again on October 7 following a surprise attack by the radical Islamic group Hamas. Armed Hamas fighters invaded Israel, murdered civilians and took over 200 hostages. It is the worst massacre of Israeli civilians since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.

Israel subsequently declared a state of war and launched first an air offensive and then a ground offensive. The Israeli-Palestinian war has already claimed thousands of lives.

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