Geneva Citizens Collect Over 3,200 Signatures to Ban Police 'Dragnets'

A petition demanding an end to police "dragnets" in Geneva has gathered over 3,200 signatures, submitted to the Grand Council. The initiative was spurred by a large-scale police operation during an anti-G7 protest on June 14, which detained hundreds of demonstrators.

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This practice must be definitively abandoned.

The petition, spearheaded by the Geneva Coordination for the Right to Demonstrate (CGDM), calls for the "definitive abandonment" of this practice. It specifically criticizes the conditions under which individuals were held for ten hours, including prolonged periods without access to water, food, or adequate restroom facilities. The CGDM labels these actions as "collective punishment," noting that no explanations were provided to those detained.

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a collective punishment

While acknowledging that some "black bloc" individuals caused damage during the protest, the organizers argue that the dragnet unfairly targeted all demonstrators. The CGDM also points to past rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which has condemned several countries, including Switzerland, for similar police tactics. This history, they argue, fuels public fear of "police repression" when exercising the right to protest.

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The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has condemned several countries, including Switzerland, for police dragnets.

In early July, police defended their actions during the anti-G7 protest, describing it as a "graduated response" to violence from a minority of individuals. They referred to the operation as a "containment device" and stated that vulnerable persons were controlled first. However, the petition highlights a growing concern among citizens about the methods used by law enforcement during demonstrations.

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a graduated response