Gaza demo in Bern cost police over CHF1 million

The police operation at the Gaza demonstration in Bern in October that turned violent cost the city CHF1.1 million ($1.25 million). This is according to a report published by the city government on Thursday. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Both police officers and demonstrators were injured in the hours-long excess of violence. The demo also led to massive property damage. "The severity of the violence exceeded the expected extent," writes the city government. Nevertheless, it believes that it was the right decision to allow the unauthorised demonstration to go ahead. If thousands of people had been dispersed during the rally, this would have led to an escalation at the train station square. + Police condemn Gaza demo violence In future, the cantonal police would like to be able to send demonstrators away before a large crowd forms. This would require stricter municipal legislation. Adapted from German by AI/jdp How we work We select the most relevant ...