Zurich, Bern, Basel: Solidarity rallies for Palestine took place in many cities in Switzerland on Saturday. In Zurich, around a thousand people moved through the city center, including many young people.
At times the move was more like an anti-Israel march than a pro-Palestine demo. “Death to Israel,” shouted some of the demonstrators. Others shouted “child murderer Israel” or “Allahu akbar” – God is great. Dozens of radical Muslims and nationalist Erdogan supporters were among the participants.
Call for a boycott against Israel
In Bern, a good 100 people gathered on Waisenhausplatz in the afternoon. The rally participants waved Palestinian flags and held up banners reading, for example, “Freedom for Palestine” or “Count Palestinian lives”. Individuals called for a boycott of Israel.
In order to comply with the distance rules, other demonstrators were referred to two other places. The same speakers appeared in all seats, including Geri Müller, former member of the National Council of the Greens and President of the Switzerland-Palestine Society. He appealed to Switzerland’s responsibility to stand up against injustice. Injustice that also happened to the Palestinian people. He was “very sad” about the many deaths caused by the recent escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere.
Truce continues
Meanwhile, the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza conflict continues. There has been no fighting since early Friday morning. In order to achieve lasting peace, US President Joe Biden and the European Union are pushing for a two-state solution – an independent Palestine alongside Israel. “That’s the only answer,” Biden emphasized.
The US is determined to support the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip for the benefit of the civilian population. The US and the EU classify the ruling Hamas as a terrorist organization. The Islamists demand the destruction of Israel. Biden believes that a sustainable peace is only possible as soon as all actors in the region unequivocally recognize Israel’s right to exist as an independent Jewish state.