Eighteen Swiss police officers injured in clashes with pro-Palestine protesters
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Swiss national broadcaster SRF reported that police used tear gas and water cannon against the crowd of up to 5,000 people who attended the march.
PHOTO: EPA
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GENEVA – Eighteen police officers and several people were injured after thousands of pro-Palestine protesters took to the streets of Bern on Oct 11, Swiss police said on Oct 12, adding the demonstration was unauthorised.
The protest in the Swiss capital against Israel’s war in Gaza turned violent when the police tried to restrict the movement of the protesters, who were throwing objects and bricks, the police told a press conference.
Swiss national broadcaster SRF reported that the police used tear gas and water cannon against the crowd of up to 5,000 people who attended the march.
“This behaviour... forced the police to use coercive measures,” deputy regional head of the Bern cantonal police Michael Bettschen said on Oct 12. One person was arrested.
Such confrontations are rare for Switzerland although a pro-Gaza protest on Oct 2 in Geneva
More than 50 properties in Bern were damaged, with windows smashed and graffiti sprayed on buildings, the police said. The damage was likely to run into millions of Swiss francs, SRF reported, adding the rally was organised by pro-Palestinian groups from across Switzerland.
The police said in a statement on X during the protest on Oct 11 that the mood was “heated”, with some people wearing masks and chanting slogans.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas held in Gaza for a third day
