The key facts
- Kirill Dmitriev, on the social network X, blamed the legacy of the Joe Biden era for the riots in Europe
- The trigger was clashes with police at an unauthorized demonstration in Zurich
- On October 31, protests also took place in more than 30 German cities and in France, where 565 people were detained
Dmitriev's comment
The Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, head of the RDIF Kirill Dmitriev, stated that Europe is gripped by a crisis due to the 'accumulated errors of thinking of the Biden era' — of former US President Joe Biden. 'Even Switzerland is burning, while Europe is exploding because of the accumulated errors of thinking of the Biden era,' he wrote on the social network X. The comment was a reaction to a post by blogger Mario Naufal with a video of protests in Zurich; Naufal himself, according to Life.ru, ironically noted that Switzerland has always been considered a country people strive to move to for the sake of peace and neutrality. This is an evaluative statement by a Russian official, not a confirmed conclusion about the causes of the protests.
What happened in Zurich
On the evening of October 31, an unauthorized demonstration in Zurich escalated into clashes with police and the burning of barricades. The newspaper 20 Minuten reported on the morning of November 1 that the march by far-left activists turned into major riots: several hundred demonstrators, many wearing masks and protective goggles, protested against militarization, police actions, capitalism, the rise of fascism, as well as in connection with the war in the Gaza Strip. Police reported a crowd attacking patrol officers called to provide medical assistance on Brauerstrasse.
Scale of the riots according to Life.ru
Life.ru provides more details about the events in Zurich: participants of the rally built barricades out of garbage containers and set them on fire, threw stones, bottles and fireworks at police officers; in response, law enforcement used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets. The riots engulfed the Langstrasse district and adjacent streets — e-bikes, e-scooters and a parked car were burning, shop windows and a public transport stop were damaged. Left-wing radical groups had previously called for the demonstration. By half past one in the morning the situation was stabilized; the extent of the damage is still being determined.
Protests in other countries
Switzerland was not the only country with street riots on October 31. According to Life.ru, in Germany youth protests swept more than 30 cities: more than 60 people were detained in Berlin alone, 27 police officers received minor injuries; participants protested against a possible return of compulsory military service, rising living costs and cuts to social spending. In France, during protests against the rising cost of living, 565 people were detained; according to official data, about 320 thousand residents took part in the rallies, of whom around 70 thousand were in Paris, where protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police officers, and one law enforcement officer was injured. Thus, the protests in different countries share a common date, but the stated reasons differ — from military service in Germany to the cost of living in France; the connection of these actions with the 'Biden era' is merely Dmitriev's assessment, not an established fact.
