Lindenhof is not an isolated case: Zurich police often tolerate left-wing extremist occupations, and politics wants it that way

The occupation of Zurich’s Lindenhof has become a pointed example of how militant groups can take over public space with little fear of being removed, according to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

About 100 people, most of them masked left-wing extremists, occupied the historic site above the Limmat from Friday evening until Sunday morning. Organizers described the action on Instagram as political. Its themes ranged from the climate crisis and rearmament to Gaza and Ceuta.

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A dead cop is a good cop.

The group barricaded the entrances, held concerts in the evenings and triggered several noise complaints. Graffiti also targeted the police in stark terms. One inscription on the wall of a historic building read, “A dead cop is a good cop,” beside the words “Fuck Police.” Police said they could not yet calculate the property damage.

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The occupiers had already fortified themselves and barricaded the square when the police forces arrived.

City police and Zurich Security Director Karin Rykart of the Green Party decided to tolerate the occupation after assessing the situation and consulting her. Police cited proportionality. Rykart later told the city parliament that officers arrived after the occupiers had fortified and barricaded the square. Clearing it would have required a forced entry and carried a risk of riots.

Rykart said preventing injuries on both sides had been the top priority. She also insisted that the assessment did not depend on the activists’ political position, noting that police had previously cleared occupations at Platzspitz and the barracks. The center-right camp rejected the decision. The Swiss People’s Party said left-wing extremists were being spared while conservatives faced restrictions on their political rights.

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The police would have had to force their way in, with the risk that riots would occur.