- The cooking area in the city of Zurich, which has been occupied for around ten years, is being cleared by the city police.
- The occupiers offered no resistance. They previously moved to the Hardturm fallow.
- The area will now be handed over to the developers, who will build new apartments.
City police began operations shortly after 8 a.m. She was there with a large contingent. After a warning from the police, they entered the premises, said Judith Hödl, media chief of the Zurich city police, to SRF. “Everything was rigorously searched. Inside you found another person.” This was taken to the police station for further investigation. Dozens of onlookers also followed the evacuation on site.
The remaining squatters had already moved to the Hardturm fallow on Tuesday and had built a wagon complex there. “People, dogs and chickens will set up their new homes on the occupied square,” the group said. It is not yet clear how long they will be allowed to stay there.
Legend:
The city police secured the Koch area in Zurich, which had been occupied for almost ten years.
Keystone/ENNIO LEANZA
Occupiers set up blockade
A criminal complaint had been filed beforehand and the conditions for the eviction were met, a spokesman for the city police confirmed to the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Legend:
A boat and several rubbish bins block the street of the squat, in which only a single light was on in the morning.
Keystone/ENNIO LEANZA
The police and fire brigade were also deployed on Thursday night because the activists had lit a fire around eight meters high and erected barricades made of waste containers and an old boat. According to Hödl, the emergency services were shot at with objects, including fireworks, while extinguishing the fire. The city police were forced to use rubber shot and irritants.
Occupied for ten years
The Koch-Areal has repeatedly made headlines and noise complaints in recent years. At times up to 150 people lived here and there were workshops, a café and a cinema, among other things.
Legend:
This is what the new cooking area should look like in a few years.
Keystone/BUILDING DEPARTMENT CITY OF ZURICH
The city hands over the area to the developers and the big cleanup begins before work can begin. The Zurich municipal council already approved this construction project in 2018.
325 affordable apartments are to be built on the approximately 30,000 square meter site. Commercial areas and a park are also planned.