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Swiss "rts! Mayday" have stolen Zurich's Snowman!

category international | worker & community struggles and protests | news report author Wednesday April 19, 2006 23:21author by iosaf

the Bööög, is one of Zurich's treasures, and at the height of that city's Spring festival "Sechseläuten" or 6 bells, the 3.5 meter statue of a snowman whose head is stuffed with explosives is set alight.

A group termed by Swiss press as extremist , calling itself the "1. Mai – Strasse Frei" (loosely translated as "Reclaiming the Streets on May Day"), is reported as sending a letter to the Swiss media claiming responsibility for the theft, saying the 3.5-metre tall snowman "had had enough of putting its head on the line for capitalists".

"Zurich's spring festival http://www.z-z-z.ch/ run by the city's guilds, which will take place next Monday. It is a sign of a good summer to come if the head is blown off quickly."

"Zurich cantonal police said the thieves did not manage to cart away the neck of the 100kg Böögg or the main charge."
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/Militants_tak...53000
This is probably a good thing, it means they can't be accused of terrorism.
& thats not what May day is about. ¿ is it ?

the site of Mayday "rts!" Zurich.
http://www.1mai06.ch/
here's the umbrella site for Europe this May Day
http://euromayday.org/
they rumour there won't be a rts! in Dublin (like last year's wonderful hood Connolly gig) but people will be doing something in their markets, I do believe.., & Your snowmen are safe!

last news from Switzerland :-
"How some of the Swiss voted and "not voted" most recently."
http://indymedia.ie/article/75373

Comments (1 of 1)

Jump To Comment: 1
author by € = CHFpublication date Mon May 01, 2006 22:34author address author phone

Swiss police have been firing plastic / rubber bullets & tear gas all day at young people they term extremist 50 (as in fifty) extremists have been arrested.
President Moritz Leuenberger of the Zurich Canton had to flee for safety as the extremists threw rocks at him. After he had gone, the extremists stormed the stage and vandalised it!
President Moritz Leuenberger has tried to ensure his polite listeners that the salaries of most Swiss have reduced dramatically in contrast to those of the managerial class of multi-national-corporations based in Zurich. He'd like to do something about it. He really would.

"May Day is the commemoration of the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago and a celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labour movement.
The May 1 date is used because in 1884, US trade unions demanded an eight-hour workday to come into effect as of May 1, 1886. The call led to a general strike and the 1886 riot.
May Day in most of the world today, including Switzerland, is marked by huge street rallies of workers led by their trade unions and various large socialist and communist parties and extremists ."

There has been as of yet not re-appearance of the Zurich Mayday "bogey man" who was kidnapped by extremists last month (read article)

Related Link: http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/May_Day_marked_by_violent_clashes.html?siteSect=105&sid=66


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