Basel bills Klybeck occupiers 90,000 francs for police operation
Friday 21st August 2026 on 09:45 in
Switzerland
Basel authorities have billed two occupiers 90,000 Swiss francs for the cost of a police operation at the former Klybeck chemical site, SRF reported. The amount covers additional expenses caused by the pair remaining on the edge of a high rooftop for hours during the eviction in early July.
Police negotiators tried to persuade the activist and activist to leave. They gave up only the following day, substantially prolonging the operation, according to Adrian Plachesi, a spokesperson for Basel’s cantonal police.
Plachesi said the charge was not a fine but the actual costs incurred because several police officers had to remain on duty for longer. He said the police law clearly required the costs to be recovered.
Whether authorities can charge people for police operations during occupations or similar actions is disputed across Switzerland. Plachesi described the Basel case as unusual because two people refused for hours to leave a roof.
The two occupiers had demanded that the authorities waive the costs and refrain from checking their identities.
The bill comes just over a month before Basel-City votes on the Swiss People’s Party’s so-called Anti-Chaos Initiative. The proposal would require demonstrators to pay when they cause damage or trigger costly police operations. The cantonal government opposes it, but Plachesi said the current bill was unrelated to the vote and was not intended as a political signal.
Police also reported that a suspected man was checked after an unauthorised demonstration followed the eviction. Demonstrators sprayed slogans on several buildings, including Basel’s town hall. The man faces a criminal complaint and will also have to pay the cleaning costs. Police did not disclose the amount; authorities had previously estimated that removing the writing from the town hall facade would cost 17,000 francs.
The affected properties in the Klybeck district belong to insurer Swiss Life. Activists occupied the site at the end of May and declared it a self-managed cultural centre called Zack.