Women in Bern mark the feminist strike day.
Keystone-SDA
Thousands of people took part in feminist strikes in Basel, Lucerne, Zurich and Bern on Sunday to raise awareness about wage discrimination, gender violence and harassment of women in the workplace.
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In French-speaking Switzerland, protests coincided with the G7 summit, organised by Evian, France. Feminist strike rallies were held on Saturday in Lausanne and Neuchâtel in which thousands of people participated. Activists in Geneva joined the large No G7 protest on Sunday in the western Swiss city.
In Bern, various “decentralised” events took place on Sunday. Music and speeches accompanied the protesters, who gathered on the Bundesplatz main square in the capital. Instead of holding a major demonstration, the striking women of Bern met up for brunch, craft activities and smashing boards – before gathering in front of the federal parliament building.
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An estimated 5,000 people of all ages gathered in the afternoon for the joint event in front of the parliament, the Keystone-SDA news agency reported. Many strikers skirted the edge of the public square in search of shade to escape the scorching sun.
Dressed in shades of purple and making themselves heard, they voiced their demands. Their banners bore slogans such as “My pussy, my rules” or “Protection costs money, violence costs lives”. The supporting programme included DJ sets and speeches by various collectives.
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Earlier in the day, the strikers had participated in some 50 different organised events. Numerous organisations brunches, craft sessions and yoga classes. At one event, participants brought boards to a city centre park that they proceeded to smash under the slogan “Smash the patriarchy”.
A large demonstration through Bern city centre was not on the agenda this year. The Bern strike collective attributed this break in demonstrations to a lack of resources. These resources were already being channelled into preparations for the nationwide care strike on June 14 next year.
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The strike action focused on the fight against gender-based violence and the call for political participation and equal rights for all, the strike collective explained. Specific demands included, for example, safe access to abortion, the introduction of a third and open gender option on official records, and non-discriminatory naturalisation criteria.
In canton Ticino, a day of feminist mobilisation organised by the local collective took place at the Villa Argentina park in Mendrisio.
Translated from Italian with AI/sb
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