Their planned – but also unauthorized – rally was the real reason for the march.
Left-wing autonomists demonstrate against right-wing radicals in Zurich on Saturday.
ela/ak./wde Riots broke out in Zurich on Saturday during unauthorized demonstrations, primarily by left-wing autonomous groups. The police used water cannons and rubber bullets, arrested a group of right-wing extremists and arrested numerous people.
The week before, opponents of the Corona policy had called for protests on social networks. As a result, left-wing groups also planned a counter-demonstration – also without approval – under slogans such as “Zurich Nazi-free”. According to the police, they were prepared accordingly.
Police officers secure a tunnel in Zurich because of the unauthorized demonstration on Saturday.
pepper spray and rubber shot
On Saturday afternoon, groups of several hundred people gathered in front of the State Museum and on the station square. They held up banners with messages like “Zurich remains Nazi-free” or “Together against the right”. The police surrounded two larger demonstration groups. According to the police, a demonstration marched to march via Neumühlequai in the direction of Bellevue. That was where the opponents of the Corona measures met. However, the city police prevented the march from entering the city center.
The area around Central and the main station was paralyzed for car and tram traffic for a long time.
The group from the main train station left around 3 p.m. in the direction of Löwenplatz, partly also to Bellevue. According to their own statements, the police stopped them again. Participants in the demonstration rioted on the Limmatquai. They were pushed back towards Central with a water cannon.
Videos that can be found on social networks show police using pepper spray against demonstrators from the left-wing scene.
?#POLICE stops #Antifa forcibly. Pepper Spray + Assaults.#ZH1202 pic.twitter.com/WoW1EvozKA
— Astiag (@astiagrahmani) February 12, 2022
The police wrote on Twitter: “Some participants in the unauthorized demonstration try to break through the police barriers. That’s why the water cannon, rubber shot and irritant had to be used.”
Little can be seen of the opponents of the measures
At first there was no sign of the announced right-wing demonstration. Shortly after 2 p.m., however, there was a short, violent fight at the Escher monument. A group of men then fled towards Central. Presumably it was the group that was later arrested by the police. The city police wrote on Twitter: “In the old town, a larger group of people prepared to use violence was stopped. This can be assigned to the right-wing extremist scene. You will be taken to a police station for further investigation.” In the evening, the police spoke of 31 people in this group.
Only a few of the opponents of the measures and corona skeptics were to be seen.
At 4:30 p.m., the city police reported that a group of opponents of the Corona measures had formed on Limmatquai. The people were asked to break up the move. The participants would now be checked, expelled and reported, writes the city police on Twitter.
According to their own statements, the Zurich police arrested a total of several dozen people. The city and cantonal police issued well over 100 orders.