Police injured in clash at cultural centre

A confrontation between protestors and police at an alternative culture centre in the capital Bern has left 11 police officers injured. Police have begun investigations into assault and breach of the peace. Police patrols of the area “to prevent crime and provide security” around the Reitschule sparked protests on Friday, which escalated on Saturday night. Stones, bottles and fireworks were thrown at police, some from the roof of the building. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Garbage bins and barriers were set on fire, blocking a nearby street, later extinguished by firefighters. Several vehicles in the area were damaged.  On its Facebook page, the Reitschule commented that there had not been any incidents at the centre since last summer, “unusual for a venue that can hold up several hundred people”. It asked whether the police patrols had been a “preventative action or a provocation”. The injuries were mainly caused by stones and fireworks.