Zurich politicians call for tougher response after weekend riots

Several hundred people gathered in Zurich on Saturday night, and a protest turned into a clash with police. On Monday, the violence moved into the cantonal council, where parties condemned the rioting and the Swiss People’s Party called for a review of who should police the city.

The proposal would examine whether Zurich’s cantonal police should take over the city police force, creating what the party described as a unified body to enforce law and order. The debate followed an unauthorised demonstration in which people wearing Halloween masks gathered on Langstrasse before moving towards Helvetiaplatz. Barricades were set alight, a car burned and shop windows were damaged.

Police said officers came under attack with fireworks, bottles and stones. They used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets. The cantonal police reported 2 arrests and 18 people removed from the area on Sunday. The political argument now centres on the city’s policing response and how officers should be supported after the unrest.

The Swiss People’s Party wants the cantonal government to consider a structural change to Zurich policing. Its proposal is to examine whether the cantonal police should take over the city force, with party leaders arguing that a unified police body would enforce law and order consistently.

Tobias Weidmann, the party’s parliamentary group leader, criticised the city police for reporting no arrests following what he called an “insane night of rioting”. The cantonal police later reported 2 arrests, alongside 18 people removed from the area. Weidmann urged Security Minister Karin Rykart to give police clear backing. “Security Minister Karin Rykart must now take a firm stance and give the police the necessary backing,” he told the cantonal council.

The party also called for those responsible for violence to be identified, arrested and prosecuted. Weidmann said violent groups should be cordoned off. His remarks put police powers and the relationship between the city and cantonal forces at the centre of the council’s response.

The Radical Liberal party and the Greens condemned the unrest, while drawing different political lessons from it. Claudio Zihlmann of the Radical Liberals accused Zurich’s city government of tolerating illegal squatting. He cited a three-day occupation of the Lindenhof that ended with tonnes of rubbish and graffiti on historic buildings. “The rule of law must prevail; when it comes to attacks on the police, there is no grey area or room for relativisation,” he said.

The Greens also rejected any claim that the night’s violence amounted to a legitimate demonstration. Sabine Arnold said peaceful demonstrations and joining a party youth wing offered ways to express concerns. She pointed to rising living costs and military rearmament as issues young people share with the Greens, and warned against fuelling violence for political advantage.

The parties’ statements showed broad condemnation in the council, alongside disagreement over city policy and the causes of unrest. No other parties in the cantonal council commented on the night’s events.

The clashes began after an unauthorised demonstration gathered on Langstrasse at about 10:30 pm. Several hundred people, some wearing Halloween masks, moved towards Helvetiaplatz, setting off fireworks and flares. At the square, a shelter was damaged and a barricade made from rubbish bins, bicycles and other objects was set alight. Small groups later set fire to rubbish bins elsewhere, and a car was also torched.

Police said officers were repeatedly targeted with fireworks, bottles and stones. A patrol responding to a medical emergency was attacked, its vehicle damaged and its officers forced to withdraw before they could assist a teenager with serious leg injuries after an accident. Clashes continued until around 1:30 am.

The violence was part of a wider night of unrest. In Basel, around 150 people gathered for a separate unauthorised demonstration. Some set fire to barricades made from rubbish bins and metal barriers, prompting cantonal police to intervene.