Demonstration against the Grand-Saconnex centre for asylum seekers
Keystone-SDA
Around 100 people demonstrated on Friday against the opening of a federal centre for asylum seekers in the Grand-Saconnex area of Geneva.
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The protest was organised by associations defending the rights of migrants and asylum seekers. Most of the demonstrators were young people. Numerous police officers were present, as the demonstration had not been authorised.
The situation remained calm, Keystone-SDA reports, even when the demonstrators blocked traffic and pulled a chain across the road. After an hour, they dispersed and set off again on foot or by bike towards the village of Grand-Saconnex.
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Switzerland rejected 18.5% more asylum seekers in 2024
The protestors denounced what they describe as the violence of the Swiss federal asylum system. They called the centre in Grand-Saconnex, set to open on Monday, a “centre of shame” and a “machine of rejection and exclusion”.
The centre is located near the end of the runway at Geneva airport, next to a bypass motorway.
Translated from French by DeepL/dos
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