Swiss police broke up an unauthorized anti-Israel demonstration in Basel on Saturday after hundreds of protesters gathered for an event organized under the slogan “Death to Zionism.”

Between 200 and 300 demonstrators gathered at Theaterplatz at around 2 p.m., chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and carrying signs calling for an “end to Zionism.” The protest was deliberately scheduled for August 29, the anniversary of the opening of the First Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897.

Basel police deployed a large contingent of officers, including reinforcements from other regions, and brought a water cannon to the scene. Police sealed off the area and gradually surrounded demonstrators to conduct identity checks.

Clashes broke out during the police operation, prompting officers to use pepper spray as they moved to disperse the crowd.

Authorities had announced in advance that the demonstration would not be permitted because of explicit calls for violence connected to the event. Police also stressed that Basel’s Jewish community must be able to feel safe in the city at all times.

The demonstration had been promoted on social media by a group called “Basel for Palestine.” Organizers chose August 29 to coincide with the anniversary of the First Zionist Congress, convened by Theodor Herzl in Basel in 1897.

Jonathan Kreutner, secretary-general of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities, called on authorities to identify and prosecute those responsible for organizing the demonstration, warning that calls for the destruction of Zionism were causing serious concern among members of Switzerland’s Jewish community.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)