- Several hundred people took part in an unauthorized demonstration against the city’s housing shortage on Saturday evening in Zurich.
- The police stayed in the background.
- During the demonstration, there was various damage to property in the city.
The occupier scene had gathered in front of the State Museum near the main train station from 6 p.m. Banners read “Housing space for everyone looking for gits riot”, “Expropriate rental sharks” and “Buy houses, bonze schletze”.
For the demonstration under the motto “It’s going to be fun – we’ll keep cooking” the Zurich city police had not received a permit application. It took place two days after the evacuation of the Koch area.
The large occupation on the cooking area had lasted ten years. According to the squatters, up to 150 people lived there. Part of it has taken over the Hardturm wasteland, on which a football stadium is planned.
Legend:
The police stayed in the background and allowed the demonstration to take place.
Keystone/ENNIO LEANZA
Major damage to property at the demonstration
Masked participants repeatedly threw stones at a police escort vehicle driving ahead. After it drove away, the demonstrators did most of the property damage, a reporter from the Keystone-SDA news agency noted. They had their sights set on new buildings in particular. Several buildings were covered with stones. The forces of the Zurich city police were attacked by partially masked people with stones, four people were arrested, the city police wrote in a media release.
At companies like KPMG, a car garage or a ZKB branch, demonstrators used hammers against windows and shops. VBZ ticket machines were also repeatedly the target of the attacks. The police stayed in the background The police stayed in the background and allowed the demonstration to take place. She had previously blocked the way to the city center and the main train station with a large contingent and two water cannons.
The demonstration on the Fritschiwiese ended after around two hours. According to the organizers and the police, around 1,000 people took part in the demonstration. The Zurich city police could not provide any information on the amount of damage on Sunday.
