As world leaders, heads of multinational corporations and bankers take part in this year’s World Economic Forum, hundreds of activists from different countries and from all parts of political spectrum rallied in the streets of Davos.
For several days in January each year, a popular resort in the Swiss Alps is turned into a global stage for politicians, bankers, and, at times – their opponents. While the main World Economic Forum venue in Davos Platz remains off-limits for public meetings, the town’s authorities usually don’t mind small-scale rallies in the centre.
Hundreds of people chanted anti-capitalist slogans gathered outside town hall on Thursday. Police kept an eye on the protest, but aside from some verbal aggression in the air, and the “furious” slogans, things did not get out of hand.
Hannah travelled to Davos from Bern to protest against arms sold globally by her country and wars that bring profits to the military industrial complex.
“I’m angry” – she says – “Because I think it’s not the right way that “the 1%”, or those people that are here, decide what’s good for 1% of population, and they don’t give a thought about the other 99%. And, I don’t think that it’s the kind of politics that I want to tolerate, that’s not what I want to happen here in Switzerland.”
Hannah from Bern didn’t want @SputnikInt to show her face, but explained her placard to us: "War industry is mainly about weapons exports" — she says — "and Switzerland is one of the leading exports industries for weapons, that are used in all kinds of wars. That's not tolerable" pic.twitter.com/8WBc0woyIN
— Denis Bolotsky (@BolotskySputnik) January 24, 2019
Tilasme Frigge came to Davos from The Netherlands. He’s a “yellow vests” activist and a YouTuber.
Together with several Russians and Ukrainians living in Europe, he protested against the EU’s support for Kiev’s authorities. When asked about the recent developments in his own country, Frigge said that despite the growing discontent with the current political system in Holland as seen at the “yellow vests“ rallies, “people just don’t believe that they can do anything about it”.
This year’s World Economic Forum is being held in Davos on 22-25 January.
