Riots break out after unauthorised demonstration in Bern

A crowd gathered at Schützenmatte shortly after 11:20 pm on Saturday, turning an unauthorised spontaneous demonstration into a prolonged police operation across Bern. A procession moved from the city’s Schützenmatte towards the Lorraine quarter, with some participants wearing masks and setting off pyrotechnics during the march.

At the end of the Lorraine Bridge, Bern police ordered the demonstrators to turn back. Officers had placed barrier tape across the route and issued verbal warnings, according to the Bern Cantonal Police. The crowd did not comply. Participants removed the tape and continued towards police units at Känzeli.

The confrontation brought the first use of force. Police said fireworks were fired directly at officers, while other projectiles were thrown at them. Officers responded with rubber pellets and rubber bullets, which the police statement described as a self-defence measure.

The procession later withdrew across the Lorraine Bridge towards Schützenmatte. Police remained deployed as the crowd gathered near the forecourt of the Reitschule, a longstanding alternative cultural centre in Bern. The demonstration continued into the early morning, disrupting roads and requiring a substantial cantonal police presence.

Police used rubber munitions after fireworks and projectiles were directed at officers. The Bern Cantonal Police said the crowd repeatedly launched pyrotechnics during the procession. Once the demonstrators crossed the barrier at the Lorraine Bridge and moved towards Känzeli, police officers faced direct attacks.

The statement did not report injuries among demonstrators, officers or emergency personnel. It said police used rubber pellets and rubber bullets for the first time at that point, citing self-defence. The distinction matters in a city where large demonstrations can pass through central neighbourhoods and alongside busy transport routes.

The confrontation did not end when the procession returned to Schützenmatte. At around 2:00 am, a group attacked officers at Henkerbrünnli via Neubrückstrasse with objects. Police again used rubber pellets. The force remained concentrated around the routes linking Schützenmatte, Lorraine and Henkerbrünnli.

Bern police have not announced arrests or identified individual suspects in the information released so far. The cantonal police said an investigation has been opened. Further findings could establish who organised the gathering, who participated in the attacks and whether additional offences occurred during the night.

The rally lasted more than four hours, from shortly after 11:20 pm until after 3:40 am. After retreating from the Lorraine Bridge, demonstrators remained for some time on the forecourt of the Reitschule. Police forces stayed in the area rather than ending the operation immediately.

The Reitschule has a prominent place in Bern’s alternative cultural scene and has a history of hosting political and social activity. The police account identifies the forecourt as a location where demonstrators gathered, but it does not state that the venue organised the unauthorised rally or that its operators were involved in the violence.

The operation affected more than the people directly involved. Sections of road were closed for around three hours, while numerous Bern cantonal police officers were deployed across the city. The route from Schützenmatte through Lorraine and towards Henkerbrünnli brought the disturbance into several connected urban areas.

Police said the rally finally dispersed shortly after 3:40 am. The account gives no estimate of the crowd size and does not detail property damage. Those questions, along with the circumstances that led to the gathering, remain part of the investigation.

No injuries had been reported by Sunday, but the incident has placed the conduct of unauthorised demonstrations and police response back in focus in Bern. The cantonal police must now reconstruct a night that involved a moving crowd, repeated warnings, pyrotechnics and attacks at two locations.

The investigation will also determine how the gathering developed at Schützenmatte, whether organisers can be identified and which participants may face criminal proceedings. Police have not yet released information about arrests, damage or possible charges. Their current account sets out the sequence of events but does not assign responsibility to a named group.

For residents, the immediate effects were practical. Roads remained closed for around three hours, emergency services faced objects and fireworks, and police units remained active until the demonstration dispersed after 3:40 am. No injuries does not remove the need to establish what happened, particularly when fireworks are directed at officers in a built-up neighbourhood.

The Bern Cantonal Police said their investigation is under way. Until further details emerge, the available record is limited to the police account and the absence of reported injuries. Authorities are expected to clarify the legal consequences and the wider circumstances surrounding Saturday night’s gathering.