عشرات الآلاف يشاركون في فعاليات عيد العمال في سويسرا
Published: Wednesday, May 1st 2024, 19:41
العودة إلى البث المباشر
May Day events took place across the country on Wednesday under the slogan "Bonuses down, wages up!". Tens of thousands of people took part in the parades to mark Labor Day. In the cities of Basel, Winterthur and Zurich, there were isolated incidents of damage to property.
Around ten thousand participants marched through the city center of Zurich on Wednesday morning in the official May Day parade. Among those taking part were Zurich National Councillor Katharina Prelicz-Huber (Greens) and SGB Chief Economist Daniel Lampart. Under the slogan "Capitalism makes you ill", the trade union federation's parade was also intended to mobilize support for the SP's premium relief initiative on 9 June.
The vast majority demonstrated peacefully. However, some masked autonomous demonstrators caused damage to property. The shop windows of Credit Suisse, UBS, Franz Carl Weber, Müller Drogeriemarkt and Läderach were sprayed. According to the city police, a window was also smashed on Bahnhofstrasse.
Damage to property and spray painting
As always, many other groups joined the parade, including a large "Palestine block" this year. In the afternoon, various radical left-wing organizations gathered for an unauthorized "Nachdemo" in Langstrasse. The police were on site with a large contingent and surrounded the participants, as a reporter from the Keystone-SDA news agency discovered at the scene.
The "Nachdemo" was then slowly dispersed by means of identity checks. In total, the city police arrested nine people during the demonstration and the subsequent identity checks. Several dozen people were checked, turned away and reported. On Wednesday evening, the SVP of the canton of Zurich then called for May 1 to be abolished as a cantonal public holiday.
In Basel, where around 2,500 people gathered, the May Day demonstration was largely peaceful. According to the cantonal police, the UBS branch on Marktplatz was sprayed and paint bags were thrown. There was damage to property worth tens of thousands of francs at the May Day parade in Winterthur ZH. Three people were provisionally arrested in this connection, according to the Winterthur city police.
In Geneva, around 2,000 people took part in the traditional May Day procession, as a reporter from the Keystone-SDA news agency discovered at the scene. In Lausanne, there were around 800 people. Other parades and rallies took place in Bern, Aarau, Baden AG, Delsberg JU and St. Gallen, among others.
Federal Councillor Beat Jans: "It's better together"
At the May Day celebrations in Thun BE, Federal Councillor and Minister of the Interior Elisabeth Baume-Schneider warned of the consequences of social injustice in a speech. Only a fair society is strong, said the SP magistrate on the town hall square in Thun. A look at numerous countries shows this. Low wages, a lack of social security and a lack of solidarity in society are the breeding ground for polarization and populism.
In Bern, where around four hundred people marched through the old town to the Bundesplatz during the parade, Federal Councillor Beat Jans called for solidarity in his speech. "Together we can do better," emphasized Jans, referring to the numerous challenges in politics, the economy and society. These included lower health insurance premiums and higher wages. Switzerland needs strong relations with Europe, especially when it comes to wage protection.
Solidarity is necessary because the world is in a bad way, said Jans. "Crises, climate, disasters, wars. In Ukraine and the Middle East. People are despairing, suffering, dying. Thousands of them. Every day. It's almost unbearable," continued Jans. The world is on fire and people in Switzerland are doing well. It is dangerous to believe that there is no fire just because your own house is not on fire, warned the Minister of Justice.
At the rally in St. Gallen, SP Co-President Cédric Wermuth campaigned for a Yes to the premium relief initiative on June 9. The "uprising for respect and dignity" must continue after the Yes to the 13th AHV pension. The task of today's generation is to "free the country from the stranglehold of the financial oligarchs". One year after the renewed rescue of a major bank, no manager has been called to account, no apology has been made and every franc of the grotesque bonuses has been kept, said Wermuth.
Meanwhile, in Biel/Bienne, the President of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB), Pierre-Yves Maillard, denounced "the completely false inflation figures" published in Switzerland. Health insurance premiums are excluded from the calculation.
Demands from politicians and trade unions
Numerous demands were formulated by politicians and trade unions on May 1. The Syna trade union launched a petition for a national, work-free May 1. The additional day off throughout Switzerland should be an act of appreciation for employees.
The Swiss Young Liberals once again called for May 1 to be abolished as a public holiday. The day causes chaos and damage to property, is misguided in terms of content and leads to a loss of prosperity. In cantons such as Zurich, the two cantons of Basel, Thurgau, Schaffhausen, Neuchâtel, Aargau and Ticino, the left-wing day of struggle is recognized as an official public holiday. In other cantons, such as St. Gallen, it is not.
The Swiss Young Socialists (Juso) have called for better working conditions for apprentices. The youngest wage earners should receive more appreciation for their work. Out of solidarity, Switzerland should also double its contributions to the Palestinian civilian population.
©كيستون/إسدا
Arabic 
English 
German 
French 
Spanish