Twenty Swiss police were injured and over 60 ravers were arrested when a politically-tinged techno parade in Bern turned ugly. Riot police fired teargas and water cannons at Black Bloc anarchists who wreaked havoc during the unauthorized rally.
This year's Tanz Dich Frei ('Dance Yourself Free') parade, the largest street party in Switzerland in over 20 years, ended with scuffle between security forces and protesters after dozens of masked Black Bloc members tried to break through barricades surrounding the Parliament building.
Later in the night, clashes between police and rioters moved to the station, where garbage cans and ATMs were vandalized. Police estimated the damage caused by vandalism and looting to be several hundred thousand Swiss francs. Sixty-one protesters were arrested, and some police officers were hospitalized.
The rally's message was quasi-political, with protesters carrying banners with slogans like "Fight for freedom, don't just dance."
