May Day in Zurich: A Sunny, Mostly Peaceful Day
Zurich saw its annual May 1st march wind through the city today under perfect spring weather — around 22 degrees, clear skies, barely any wind. According to the Gewerkschaftsbund, roughly 15,000 people turned out, possibly more than in recent years.
The march set off from Helvetiaplatz in Kreis 4 at 10:30, headed through the city centre and along the Limmatquai, and ended at Sechseläutenplatz. Leading the front were union president Vania Alleva and the day's main speaker, SP National Councillor Michèle Dünki-Bättig, behind banners calling for the defence of jobs and wages and rejecting isolationism. The official slogan from the Swiss Trade Union Federation pushed back against the SVP's so-called "10-million initiative" coming to a national vote on 14 June.
Behind the unions came the usual mix: the "Omas gegen Rechts," the socialist children's group Rote Falken, and the Black Bloc — several hundred masked participants from the autonomous left, mostly young, chanting anti-capitalist slogans to the beat of the Borumbaia drum group, who turn up every year.
Things got rowdier when the procession turned onto Bahnhofstrasse. Masked protesters smashed shop windows and sprayed graffiti, while police sealed off side streets to limit the damage. Smoke bombs went off, but overall the police described the official demo as quiet — a few firecrackers and tags aside.
At Sechseläutenplatz, Dünki-Bättig urged the crowd to stand up for the people who hold society together: carers, teachers, builders, bus drivers, shop workers. Italian unionist Stefano Gianandrea de Angelis from USB also spoke, tying into this year's festival motto "Blocchiamo tutto" — a reference to last year's Italian port strikes against arms shipments to Israel.
The festival on the Kasernenareal — billed as Europe's biggest May Day fest — kicked off after the speeches, with around 70 info stands, 30-plus political events, food stalls, and concerts running until 2am. An unauthorised after-demo is announced for 15:00 on Langstrasse, which is usually where the day gets messier.
