Swiss police on high alert this weekend as Zurich sports and protest events collide

Police are on high alert this weekend, as several significant events in the Swiss city of Zurich are set to collide. Labour Day protests, title-deciding football matches and ice hockey games are the main causes for concern. 

Labour day protests could spell trouble for Swiss police

After more than two years of on-and-off COVID restrictions, police expect that this year’s turnout for Labour Day will be large and that marchers may be seeking an opportunity to take out pent up anger and frustration at the Swiss government.

May 1 is celebrated across the world as International Labour Day, essentially a national holiday to honour workers’ achievements throughout the past year. As this is the first Labour Day in two years to go ahead as normal, Sunday’s events are expected to be well-attended and raucous. 

At the same time, football teams from Zurich and Basel will go head-to-head in what could lead to FC Zurich’s first Swiss Super League title in 13 years. The match itself will take place in Basel, but many of Zurich’s fans will be staying in the city to watch. The police are therefore busy making preparations for Sunday evening in case celebrations get out of hand. The two cities retain a bitter rivalry that has escalated on several occasions, especially when it comes to football. 

The police say that they are prepared for every eventuality

At the same time, there is also an ice hockey game that is due to take place between the Zurich Lions and Zug, in an important finals match to decide the championship. The teams will go head-to-head on Sunday following a few more matches earlier in the week. Bookmakers' odds have Zug as the favourite to win the series overall, but it is still all to play for!

The police in Zurich have planned extensively for this busy weekend. The force has stressed that it is prepared for every eventuality and will continue to work hard to keep the city running smoothly.