Protestor sets himself on fire outside Swiss parliament

Published 2020-07-20, 12:40 p/m

ZURICH (Reuters) - A protestor set himself on fire outside Switzerland's parliament building in Bern on Monday following a demonstration against the country's asylum policy.

Police confirmed an incident in the Bundesplatz, where one man suffered burn injuries and was taken to hospital

"It looks like this man has caused the injury himself, but that is something we will look into," a police spokesman said.

The man, who has not been identified, did not suffer life threatening injuries, the spokesman said.

Paramedics, fire services and police were called to the scene after the incident which happened at around 3pm local time on Monday.

In Switzerland, where 38% of the 8.6 million population is made up of foreign nationals and naturalized citizens, immigration and asylum has become a controversial topic.

Protesters were demanding equal treatment and the right to work for asylum seekers as well as an ending isolation of individuals at refugee centres.

The country is due to hold a referendum in September on limiting the free movement of people with the European Union.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.