Organizers remain under obligation Participation in unauthorized demonstrations in Zurich soon to be exempt from punishment
Zurich is planning a reform that will make participation in unauthorized demonstrations unpunishable in order to strengthen the right to freedom of expression and assembly.
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- Until now, participants in unauthorized demonstrations in Zurich have been punished with a fine of CHF 200 plus fees.
- In spring 2023, the municipal council submitted a motion to the city council calling for more freedom of political expression and assembly.
- The General Police Ordinance (APV) has now been amended to include the following passage: "Participation in the unauthorized use of public land for special political purposes is not punishable by law."
Anyone who takes part in an unauthorized demonstration in Zurich can be fined. As a rule, the municipal magistrate's office issues a fine of CHF 200, plus procedural fees of a similar amount.
In spring 2023, the municipal council submitted a motion to the city council calling for more freedom of political expression and assembly, based on the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights of freedom of assembly and expression.
The City Council therefore requested the municipal council to add the following passage to the General Police Ordinance (APV): "Participation in the unauthorized use of public property for special political purposes is not punishable by law."
Removals still possible
As the city council wrote in a press release on Wednesday, the organizer is still required to obtain a permit. "And all participants in a demonstration must continue to comply with police orders."
The police can also continue to turn participants away if the necessary conditions are met. "To prevent and punish violence, all other criminal provisions will of course remain applicable."