On Friday, November 25, an unauthorized demonstration in Basel ended violently. After around 200 people gathered on Theaterplatz at around 7 p.m. to mark International Day against Violence against Women, the Basel-Stadt cantonal police used various means such as rubber bullets to break up the demonstration. According to the police, a dialog had been sought with the demonstrators beforehand. It seems grotesque: On the same day, the cantonal police went public with the “Halt Gewalt” campaign – and on the same evening, they responded with violence to the demonstrators who were drawing attention to the same problems.
- We support the content of the “Stop Violence” campaign with actions by our International Youth Network and are glad that the police have recognized the serious problem of gender-based violence (GBV). We think it is important to build trust in key security actors such as the police.
- At the same time, experiences like the one on Friday destroy this trust and increase the barrier for people affected by violence to seek help.
- We call on the cantonal police and Stephanie Eymann, member of the cantonal government, to investigate the police operation on November 25. Endangering the participants of the demonstration with rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray is based on the same violence against which the “Halt Gewalt” campaign is directed.
- More money, time and staff should be invested in combating and raising awareness of gender-based violence (GBV).
