Swiss police detain dozens of climate protesters outside bank

Swiss police said they’ve detained around two dozen climate protesters on Monday who were blocking access to the Credit Suisse headquarters in Zurich.

Around 70 people took part in the sit-in, barring the several of the bank’s entrances with bikes and large potted plants. Protesters also carried a banner reading: “Climate Emergency Sponsored by Credit Suisse.”

Some of the activists had chained themselves to nearby objects and had to be cut away, police said. Authorities also carried away protesters who refused to leave.

Protest organizers the Collective Climate Justice Group said on Twitter that the police action “actively protects the environmentally destructive interests of (Credit Suisse) and opposes a fossil-free, climate-friendly future.”

A similar climate protest also took place outside the headquarters of Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, in the city of Basel.