Climate action at Bundesplatz – city ultimatum has expired – activists want to stay – news

• Climate activists apparently want to stay on the Bundesplatz. This was confirmed by an SRF spokeswoman.
• The activists show each other how to react in the event of an arrest by the police.
• On Monday evening, the city of Bern issued an ultimatum: You must leave the Bundesplatz by Tuesday noon. Otherwise, there is a risk of police eviction.
• By occupying the Bundesplatz, the climate movement wants to pressure politicians to protect the climate more.

Actually, their ultimatum has expired, they should go. But they seem to want to stay. “We want to be heard,” says Hanna Fischer, a spokeswoman for the group. Your message has not yet arrived.

“We protest peacefully. We don’t see any reason why we should go. ”They are aware that it is illegal, but their concern about the weather justifies action.

Is there an eviction?

The weekly market stalls were set up between the large demonstration tents and the toilets on Bundesplatz early Tuesday morning. Market drivers were mad at SRF because they have less space than usual.

The green mayor Alec von Graffenried had an idea of ​​the situation in the morning. Graffenried told SRF that he felt pressure from national politics, but did not want to react too quickly. The next decision will be made early in the afternoon after the extraordinary meeting of the municipal council.

He refused to move to Schützenmatte

According to the ideas of the climate movement, the camp should continue from Tuesday at noon in front of the Federal Palace. Instead, the Bern town hall offers to transfer you to Waisenhausplatz 200 meters away. The city had previously offered the Schützenmatte in front of the riding school at the Bern train station. But the activists refused.

If the climate movement speaks out against the move, the city council will meet again Tuesday afternoon for an extraordinary meeting. In a message, the municipal council states that the action was not approved and that it violates the municipal concentration regulations. He had also taken note of a letter from the administrative delegation of the Federal Council, which demanded that the legal status of the Bundesplatz be restored.

Municipalities press

The atmosphere in Parliament is also heated. The SVP wanted to increase pressure on the Bern city authorities with a new request for order. A narrow majority rejected the request Tuesday afternoon.

With 90 to 79 votes and 16 abstentions, Esther Friedli’s (SVP / SG) request for a regulation narrowly failed. Unlike the night before, the parliamentary groups of the FDP and CVP no longer voted unanimously in favor of the motion and some abstained.

Yesterday, the president of the National Council, Isabelle Moret, and the president of the Council of States, Hans Stöckli, demanded that the city and the canton of Bern “determine that this act is illegal.”

Climate activists are calling for “a net zero policy by 2030 and climate justice.” Activist Meret Schefer told SRF that several “sectors with influence” were also addressed, such as the financial sector or the energy industry. It is important to the organizers that the action remains peaceful and colorful despite civil disobedience.