Demonstration Around 200 protest against the Iranian regime in Bern
An estimated 200 people demonstrated in front of the Iranian embassy in Bern on Saturday. The demonstration was authorized, but was accompanied by a large police contingent.
17.01.2026, 14:58
SDA
They carried banners with inscriptions such as "People are dying, Bern is silent", as a reporter from the Keystone-SDA news agency reported. They were referring to the mass protests in Iran, which were brutally suppressed and claimed several thousand lives, according to human rights organizations.
With their slogans and placards, they sided with the son of the overthrown Shah ("King Reza") and against Iran's religious leader ("Go to hell Khamenei"). The square rally was noisy, but initially passed off without incident. Police officers stood in full gear in front of the sealed-off embassy.
Police on site with a large contingent
A similar but unauthorized protest on Tuesday was less peaceful. The police used irritants, as they wrote in a statement at the time. The participants initially did not comply with the request to open the road to traffic immediately. In addition, three men had entered the embassy premises without authorization before the operation.
The Bern cantonal police had announced a large deployment in the city center for Saturday. Shortly after the protest against the Iranian regime began, an unauthorized demonstration against the World Economic Forum was planned on Bahnhofplatz. Traffic restrictions were to be expected.
