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More than 1,000 people took to the streets of the Swiss capital, Bern, to protest against the forthcoming World Economic Forum. Organisers say numbers were boosted by the announced participation of United States President Donald Trump in Davos.
The procession passed peacefully, but was noticeable by some provocative banners, notably one that read “Kill Trump With His Own Weapon!”
This mimicked a controversial poster unfurled in a May 2017 Bern rally protesting against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which read “Kill Erdogan With His Own Weapons!”, and showed a gun being pointed at the Turkish leader’s head.
That banner provoked a diplomatic spat between Switzerland and Turkey that resulted in an investigation by the city’s prosecutors.
+ Read more on Trump coming to WEF 2018
The anti-WEF rally on Saturday is the first in a series of demonstrations that are set to take place in Swiss cities in the coming days. Protesters argue that WEF is an elitist club of the world’s wealthy and powerful who cause more problems than they solve.
The World Economic Forum’s showcase event will take place in the ski resort of Davos between January 23-26 this year.
swissinfo.ch/mga