Climate activists protest 'green capitalism', clash with Swiss police
The police say the "unauthorized" demonstration consisting of 400 people was called a "revolutionary demonstration for the climate."
-
Swiss police in the city of Basel standing near a crowd of climate activists protesting 'green capitalism' on Saturday, February 11, 2023 (Basel Police Twitter account)
Hundreds of activists clashed with Swiss police on Saturday during pro-climate protests in the northern part of the country, where law enforcement that claimed the protests were "unauthorized" targeted the demonstrators with rubber bullets and tear gas canisters.
According to the city's police Twitter account, around 400 individuals gathered for what was called a "revolutionary demonstration for the climate" in the city of Basel.
Read more: Rocky path emerges between Swiss glaciers for 1st time in 2,000 years
Die rund 400 Personen befinden sich am Bankenplatz. Der Strassenverkehr ist gesperrt.
— Kantonspolizei Basel-Stadt (@Kapo_BS) February 11, 2023
The police later said in a tweet that "around 200 hooded people are part of the demonstration. They are looking for a confrontation with the police."
Read more: Switzerland: Largest bleaching of sea sponges recorded
"Despite repeated warnings," the police claimed, protesters "tried to get into the city center."
Demonstration befindet sich in der Innenstadt!
— Kantonspolizei Basel-Stadt (@Kapo_BS) February 11, 2023
Rund 200 Vermummte sind Teil der Demo. Sie suchen die Auseinandersetzung mit der Polizei.
After harassing the security services, "rubber shots had to be used," the Basel law enforcement stated.
Read more: Greenpeace calls Davos 'masterclass on hypocrisy' for extreme jet use
It's noteworthy that Swiss activists, in addition to climate activists worldwide, have been recently campaigning against "green capitalism", which argues in favor of the coexistence between the growth of capitalism while also attending to diminishing natural resources, claiming that addressing climate issues on its own by governments would be too expensive and would take a huge toll on nations.
