Once a Month, Cyclists Demand City Streets
Published: Friday, Jul 28th 2023, 04:40
Aktualisiert am: Freitag, 13. Oktober 2023, 14:12
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The Critical Mass is a monthly event where hundreds of cyclists ride together through the streets. It is not a demonstration, but a "spontaneous traffic event". It originated in San Francisco in 1992 and is now held in hundreds of cities around the world, with the largest event taking place in Budapest in 2008 with 80,000 participants. In Switzerland, the event is held in cities such as Bern, Basel, Luzern and St. Gallen, with the focus being on Zurich. In Zurich, the local authorities recently ruled that the Critical Mass is a demonstration and therefore requires a permit. No permit has been requested for this Friday. The event has no official organisers and is known as the "Fanpage". The motto is "We are traffic" and the aim is to meet motorised traffic on an equal footing. In Zurich, thousands of people have participated, with some cars with mobile sound systems also present. This has caused some conflict with the police, with some cars being confiscated. In Geneva, four participants were fined for traffic offences and not following orders. The Federal Court confirmed the fines in May 2021, noting that authorities must show tolerance towards peaceful assemblies, even if they are not authorised.
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