Zurich residents are ready to gather for the protest action to defend their basic freedoms that have been voided by the nationwide lockdown. Following police approval, about 500 people are set to attend a ‘coronavirus skeptic’ rally in Zurich, according to SwissInfo.
Swiss anti-lockdown rally to take place on August 29th at Helvetiaplatz, at the heart of Zurich, will be attended by several groups who are sceptical about the COVID pandemic and oppose the current lockdown measures.
So far, an estimated 500 supporters are expected, counter-protesters from other Swiss cities have also announced their intention to attend. The groups who have indicated their intention to attend include “Friends of the Constitution”, “Network Vaccination Decision” and “Citizens’ Forum Switzerland”.
Patrick Jetzer, an organizer of the upcoming event, said that the diverse groups were united by their feelings on the virus and the government’s lockdown measures.
“If you look at the mortality from Corona, it is in a similar range to that of a stronger flu epidemic. We, therefore, see no justification for such restrictions as those issued by the Federal Council,” Jetzer said.
An activist added as well the multiple recent studies show that the face masks are counterproductive. Moreover, masks are not hygienic to wear in public. “Any use of masks can only be proven for operating theatres and laboratories,” Jetzer said with no indication which studies he was referring to.
Zurich police approved the anti-lockdown demonstration
While the police approved the rally, the diverse groups of activists have accelerated their organizational activities across the Alpine nation.
The Antifacist Action group of Zurich said it will encourage its members and supporters to attend “to show that coronavirus conspiracy theorists are not welcome in Switzerland”. Meanwhile, police believe that there planned to be a few hundred, sometimes a few dozen protesters.
In particular, the activists are concerned about the suspension of political rights and the extraordinary powers taken up by the Swiss government to combat the novel pathogen, which reportedly took away thousands of lives globally.
This week, posters at the events carried slogans like “RIP democracy, 1291-2020” (referring to the year Confederation was apparently born) and “#StayAwake for freedom and self-determination”. It’s about freedom in the large sense of the word.
