Switzerland's feminist strike draws thousands, from Zurich to Basel, demanding equality and an end to violence

A nationwide call for equality

On 14 June, the feminist strike — known locally as Frauenstreik — returned to Swiss cities for its annual mobilisation. Nationwide, organisers claimed participation surpassed 100,000, while reporters estimated tens of thousands. Marches and decentralised actions in Zurich, Bern, Basel and Lucerne put a wide spectrum of demands on the agenda, from closing the gender pay gap to ending femicides and patriarchal structures.

Bern opts for decentralised action

Instead of a single large demonstration, the Bern collective organised more than 50 small actions, including brunches, crafting sessions and yoga classes. In the afternoon roughly 5,000 people gathered at the Bundesplatz for speeches and DJ sets. Organisers said the pause from a central march was necessary because resources are already being funnelled into preparations for a nationwide care-strike scheduled for 14 June 2027.

Basel and Lucerne rally against violence

The permitted march in Basel started at 15:00 on Petersplatz, with protesters crossing the Wettsteinbrücke into Kleinbasel. Franziska Stier, media spokesperson for the Basel collective, said recent events such as a femicide in Binningen had sharpened the focus on violence against women.

“One of the central topics remains violence against women and genderqueer people.”

In Lucerne, thousands moved from the Vögeligärtli to the Bundesplatz and towards the Seequai after 16:00. Annika Burri of the Lucerne collective called for more resources for victim protection and broader political participation.

“We demand more funding for violence protection, and greater equality and participation for women, queer people, migrants and people with disabilities.”

Zurich focuses on unpaid care work

The largest procession took place in Zurich, where an early-evening march along Langstrasse briefly brought traffic to a standstill. The Zurich collective presented an oversized invoice marked “payment status: overdue” as a rebuke of the unpaid labour mostly shouldered by women. Their policy demands included free healthcare for all, a reduction of the working week to 25 hours with full pay, and the socialisation of housing.

“Sunday carries an incredible amount of unpaid, often invisible, feminised and precarious care work.”

Looking ahead to 2027

Across the movement, the long-term goal is a national care-strike on 14 June 2027. Several groups noted that this year’s actions served partly as a build-up, and the pause in Bern’s march was explicitly linked to redirecting energy towards that larger mobilisation.