Thousands show solidarity with Palestinians in Bern
Published: Saturday, Nov 4th 2023, 17:40
Updated At: Sunday, Nov 5th 2023, 00:54
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Thousands of people expressed their solidarity with the Palestinians on the Bundesplatz in Bern on Saturday. The largest rally in recent weeks on the Middle East conflict had previously been approved by the Bernese city authorities.
Demonstrators traveled to Bern from all over Switzerland. The large square in front of the Federal Palace filled up quickly. Because it was raining heavily and the participants were hidden under umbrellas, it was difficult to estimate their numbers. In the evening, the organizers spoke of around 10,000 participants - a figure that is unlikely to be completely out of the blue, as a reporter from the Keystone-SDA news agency discovered at the scene.
At the pro-Palestine rally, participants called for an end to the violence in Gaza. Speakers emphasized that they regretted the violence and civilian casualties on all sides.
Nevertheless, hardly anyone at the lectern made any 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. The system only works because the USA and European states 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 is described by Israel as anti-Semitic, as it denies Israel's right to exist.
Heated but not violent
The atmosphere at the rally was loud and sometimes heated, but not violent. The police were present, but kept a larger presence in the background.
Where they noticed flags or banners with problematic content, they intervened and checked the people concerned. In some cases, the police also took people to the police station, as can be seen from a message posted by the Bern cantonal police on the social media channel X (formerly Twitter). Removal orders were also issued.
The city's Director of Security, Reto Nause, visited the site in the afternoon to see the situation for himself.
There were no riots and the event remained peaceful. The organizers of the rally repeatedly warned the participants not to hold up any flags other than the Palestinian flag. The demonstrators were also told to follow the police's security instructions and not to attach anything to the fence separating the Bundesplatz from the Bundeshaus. The demonstrators complied with these instructions. The rally broke up at around 4 pm.
The demonstration was called by several dozen mainly smaller organizations and groups, such as Bern for Palestine, which had previously organized rallies in Bern. Supporters of the rally also included the Communist Party, the Labor Party and the Migrant Solidarity Network.
The pro-Palestinian side had already held two previous rallies in Bern. The city of Bern approved the events. The question of approval 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 sender and the desired route, but also the tone with which the rally is called.
Strike and counterstrike
The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians flared up again on October 7 after 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 then declared a state of war and launched first an air offensive and then a ground offensive. The flare-up of the Middle East conflict has already claimed thousands of lives.
©Keystone/SDA
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