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- Bern police cleared the space in front of the Federal Palace on Wednesday night.
- The mayor of Bern, Alec von Graffenried, is satisfied with the evacuation process.
- With the occupation of the Bundesplatz, the climate movement wanted to pressure politicians for more climate protection.
“The work was done very professionally on all sides,” von Graffenried said. “We handle it as we always do in Bern: we seek a solution with everyone involved.” One got the impression that the climate activists were also prepared and waiting for the police. Police spokesman Christoph Gnägi also said the evacuation was “quiet and peaceful”.
No one was injured during the evacuation. They took an unknown number of activists, they must wait for a complaint. About three dozen people had previously left the site voluntarily.
“The climate catastrophe cannot be cleared”
The organizers of the protest at the Bundesplatz also got in touch after a hectic night. “One thing is clear to us: the climate catastrophe cannot be cleared. The last few days have impressively demonstrated how strong the climate movement is and how broad its support is among the population, ”says activist Hanna Fischer. “And this is exactly where we will continue from today. Stronger than before because now we are all together. “More than 20,000 people have expressed solidarity with the movement through the Campax campaign platform.
The climate movement had taken authorities by surprise Monday night when several hundred activists had set up a protest camp on the Bundesplatz in no time. They wanted to pressure politicians to do more for the climate. But federal councilors insisted on the prohibition of demonstrations, which has been in force since 1925 and is applied during the sessions in front of the Federal Palace.
The Bern city government repeatedly offered activists other places to camp, which the climate movement rejected. On Tuesday night he passed up the city’s last ultimatum for the voluntary withdrawal from the Bundesplatz. The city later ordered the police to clear the house.
Sit locks dissolved
On Wednesday at 2 am the police arrived with a large contingent and cordoned off the Bundesplatz. The police evacuation began at 3:30 am The sit-ins gradually dissolved. The activists offered only passive resistance. Some were chained to objects. They were released from their shackles by firefighters with cutting equipment. The activists continued to sing songs and chant slogans such as “Protecting the climate is not a crime.”
Police clear Bern’s Bundesplatz
The cantonal government of Bern welcomed the evacuation of the Bundesplatz. The Bern city authorities had decided “late but correctly”, according to a statement from the governing council. The cantonal government, like the federal councilors, had previously asked the city government to clear the square.
