Zurich police deploy water cannons and rubber bullets against counter-protesters at anti-abortion march

Confrontation along the demonstration route

More than 1,000 anti-abortion demonstrators gathered on Saturday afternoon at the Marktplatz in Zurich-Oerlikon for the annual Marsch fürs Läbe. Participants of all ages, including families, children, and grandparents, assembled behind privacy fences before setting off through the district under the slogan "Together for Life". Only a few hundred meters past the starting square, the procession ground to a halt when approximately 200 masked counter-protesters on bicycles blocked the intersection. The counter-demonstrators shoved large waste containers onto the roadway, lit smoke petards and firecrackers, and shouted slogans against religious fundamentalists. Zurich police ordered the cyclists over loudspeakers to clear the street, informing them that they were obstructing an authorized assembly. When the group refused to move and began hurling glass bottles at officers, police deployed two water cannons and fired rubber bullets to clear the road.

During the procession, several dozen people, some on bicycles, repeatedly attempted to block or stop the demonstration.

Relocation disputes and municipal appeals

The gathering took place in the northern district of Oerlikon for the sixth consecutive year because municipal authorities rejected an application to march through central Zurich. The City of Zurich originally moved the demonstration to Oerlikon in 2020 following violent riots, extensive property damage, and injuries during the 2019 event. Conservative Christian organizers expressed disappointment over the ongoing exclusion from the inner city, arguing that the security restrictions unfairly penalize their event. Addressing the assembled crowd from the main stage on the Marktplatz, organizing committee president Beatrice Gall criticized the municipal decision. Gall and her fellow organizers confirmed that they have filed a formal appeal with the district council and launched a public petition to demand permission for future rallies in the city center.

Unfortunately we are once again in Oerlikon!

Police security measures and detentions

Zurich police instituted strict security measures around the perimeter of the Marktplatz, where volunteer stewards inspected backpacks and bags at entry points. Following advance calls on social channels for disruptions, officers checked several dozen individuals in the surrounding streets and issued expulsion orders from the area prior to the start. Authorities provisionally detained two people on suspicion of violence and threats against police officers, transferring them to a local police station for investigation. Officers equipped with helmets, protective shields, and shotguns advanced in formation to keep the two opposing camps separated throughout the afternoon. Despite counter-protesters reappearing at multiple intersections along the circuit, the cordons held, allowing the march to proceed before participants returned to the Marktplatz shortly before 18:00 to conclude the gathering.

Thematic focus and political representation

The faith-based march has taken place annually since 2010 on the Saturday immediately preceding the Federal Fast. This year, the organizers dedicated the program to the role of men and fathers, focusing on the responsibility of partners toward unborn children and families as well as the personal strain experienced by men following unexpected pregnancy terminations. Invited political figures addressed the crowd, including Nicolas Kolly, a member of the National Council representing the Swiss People's Party from the canton of Fribourg. Left-wing groups, who gathered around 15:00 to protest the assembly, continued to criticize the organizers for seeking to restrict women's rights to bodily self-determination and for presenting generalized depictions of abortion.