Police end attempted occupation of Zurich’s Platzspitz square
Keystone-SDA
A large contingent of police prevented an attempted occupation of the Platzspitz area behind the National Museum in Zurich on Friday afternoon. They checked over 200 people and ordered them away. The group of occupiers cited anti-capitalist motives as the reason for the action.
The police had information about the possible unauthorised action in advance, as the city police announced in the evening. The city police therefore increased their presence in the city centre.
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Shortly before 5 pm, several groups of people reportedly approached the Platzspitzpromenade. At the same time, lorries and vans carrying catering equipment drove up. The activists then attempted to barricade the entrances to Platzspitz from the inside.
The police gained access to the area, where they were pelted with bottles and stones. The police used a water cannon and rubber bullets to push back the crowd. Some of the squatters fled via the Limmat or other entrances.
The rest were arrested by the police. Shortly after 6 pm they began checking people. They checked a total of 233 people and ordered them to leave. The operation ended at 9:50 pm, according to the police. There were no reports of injuries or damage to property at this time. The city police received support from the cantonal police.
The activists justified the attempted occupation by saying that since the 1990s, Platzspitz has stood for a system that “sorts out, represses and criminalises people”. In a communiqué, they stated that this is where it becomes clear how capitalist mechanisms drive people into poverty, hardship and dependency.
Zurich’s public transport company reported delays, cancellations and diversions in the evening. They called on people to avoid the city centre and main station. Passengers travelling to the main station should use the S-Bahn.
+ Zurich’s infamous Needle Park movement
In the 1980s and 1990s, Platzspitz was a meeting point for an open drug scene and made headlines around the world as Needle Park. Today, the area near the main railway station is a park.
Translated from German by DeepL/ds
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