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Switzerland: 200 arrests at peaceful street party

01 January 2008

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A peaceful street party in the Swiss city of Luzern was stopped by a massive police deployment of 400 officers who arrested 200 people including a few tourists who happened to stand too close to the operation. In view of the mass arrests and "zero tolerance" policing strategy applied to small protests against the World Economic Forum in Basel, it appears that the Swiss police force is practicing crowd control in preparation for the EURO-08 football championship which will take place in Switzerland and Austria this summer.

The 200 people who had gathered for the "street party for more cultural public spaces" were encircled by 400 riot police. Journalists were pushed away to prevent them reporting violent arrests and a second procession was attacked by police with water cannons and plastic bullets without any violence having been committed by the protesters. The organisation responsible for the street party, Aktion Freiraum (Action Free Spaces) reports that information from police circles show that the operation had been prepared long in advance of the street party. There is concern that the police operation creates a precedent for the next event organised by the alternative scene. The municipality ignored extensive talks with the organisation for the procession to move peacefully through the city.

http://de.indymedia.org/2007/12/201157.shtml

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