Police deployed pepper spray and water cannon to break up an unauthorized pro-Palestinian rally in Basel, Switzerland, after hundreds of demonstrators clashed with officers on Saturday.
The confrontation unfolded at Theaterplatz around 2 p.m., drawing an estimated 200 to 300 people. Protesters chanted pro-Palestinian slogans and carried signs reading “End Zionism.”
Basel cantonal police had refused to authorize the gathering because its stated theme, “Death to Zionism,” constituted a call to violence. Authorities said protecting the city’s Jewish community drove that decision.
Officers cordoned off the square, surrounded attendees, and checked identification documents. Water cannon stood ready as backup. Small clusters of people formed near the police perimeter, and sporadic scuffles broke out between demonstrators and law enforcement.
The timing carried symbolic weight: August 29 marked the anniversary of the First Zionist Congress opening in Basel in 1897.
Reinforcements from Bern and Aargau cantons supported Basel police during the operation. The demonstration was ultimately shut down.
Basel now faces questions about balancing free assembly rights against public safety guarantees for minority communities, a tension playing out across European cities as Middle East-related protests multiply.
