Swiss Police Chief Warns Energy Shortages in Winter Would Cause Riots

GENEVA (Sputnik) - People in Switzerland may go on riots if energy shortages occur in the upcoming winter, the Swiss police chief, Fredy Fassler, said on Saturday.

"Power outage... will have serious consequences. Imagine the situation when we can no longer withdraw money from ATMs, we can no longer pay by card in a store or refuel at a gas station. The heaters are no longer working. The streets are all dark. In that case it would be possible to imagine that the population would rebel," Fassler told the Blick newspaper.

He noted that he does not expect this to happen, but the authorities should be ready for the worst case scenario.

"Switzerland is actively preparing for the threat of an electricity shortage in the winter. The energy supply is at the center of attention," he added.

The Swiss Federal Council decided on Wednesday that power plant operators could negotiate contracts for the use of backup power plants in the event of an electricity shortage this winter. Swiss authorities have warned that for the first time they may impose restrictions on energy consumption in the coming winter if electricity or gas shortages occur.

Previously, the head of the Swiss Federal Electricity Commission ElCom, Werner Luginbuhl, urged citizens to stock up on candles and firewood due to possible power outages in the country in the coming winter.

Since 2021, energy prices in Europe have been rising rapidly following a global trend. After Russia launched a military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine and Brussels imposed several sanctions packages against Moscow, the energy situation deteriorated considerably, prompting European countries to search for alternatives to Russian energy supplies