Swiss National Holiday celebrations on the Rhine
Tonight’s Swiss National Holiday celebration on the Rhine is expected to once again attract thousands of visitors. To ease pressure on the roads, the Basel-Stadt cantonal police is asking people travelling into the city for the evening to use public transport.
The cantonal police have once again reviewed their plans for possible threats - for the first time using overarching evaluation measures used for major events - to ensure those attending the festival stay safe. It is visibly present at the Swiss National Holiday celebration in Basel and includes securing the perimeter with mobile, concrete blocks. Residents and people with parking permits will still be able to gain access to the closed-off areas.
The Mittlere Brücke will be closed to traffic (including cyclists) from 4pm and to public transport from 5pm onwards. Blumenrain, Spiegelgasse, Marktgasse and Eisengasse as well as the access road to Mittlere Brücke from Gryffengasse/Rheingasse on the Kleinbasel side will also be closed. From 9pm, the Wettsteinbrücke and Johanniterbrücke will also be closed to all traffic (subject to short-term changes). There may also be further local restrictions. Experience has shown that the crowd on Mittlere Brücke will be very big as early as 10pm; parents with small children and prams are advised against going there.
The Rhine will also be temporarily closed or restricted for large and small boats. A maximum speed of five kilometres per hour, i.e. «walking speed», applies to small boats on the Rhine route between the Wettsteinbrücke and Johanniterbrücke between 5pm and 9.45pm. During the fireworks, the walkway between Wettsteinbrücke and Johanniterbrücke will be closed. This is particularly valid from 9.45pm onwards because of the fireworks and the preparatory work on the river. Half an hour after the end of the fireworks, or after approval given by the police, it will again be possible for small boats to travel up and down the river. Information for ship traffic can be found on the Internet athttp://www.polizei.bs.ch/verkehr/rhein.html.
For safety reasons, nobody should be swimming in the Rhine from 4pm onwards. In any case, the following applies: The instructions of the police must be followed.
Caution with fireworks and regulations
The cantonal police is advising the public to be cautious when handling fireworks. They warned that setting off fireworks in crowds can be very dangerous and lead to serious injuries or cause major damage to buildings and cars. In addition, older people, toddlers, and pets are all sensitive to the loud noise, and the police are asking the public to take greater consideration around animals and vulnerable people when it comes to fireworks. Firecrackers (fireworks which explode on the ground) and the ignition of pyrotechnical objects for technical purposes - such as flares, signal and firecrackers - are prohibited. Exceptions are the so-called «Lady Crackers», which are no longer than 22 millimetres or whose diameter is no more than 3 millimetres, and «Knallteufel» with a weight of less than 2.5 milligrams.
The police are also warning against pickpocketing, which happens more often in celebrations with large crowds. They advise the public to carry wallets and valuables close to their bodies and advise women not to carry handbags and leave expensive jewellery at home.
Baselworld to continue after the departure of Swatch
The departure of the exhibitor Swatch has not jeopardised the existence of the Baselworld watch exhibition, according to its director. «Baselworld will continue to exist - no matter what happens», exhibition director Michel Loris-Melikoff said in aninterview with the French-Swiss newspaper, «Le Temps». It is too early to speculate about a possible snowball effect, he added.
On the weekend, Swatch boss Nick Hayek had announced the departure of his Swatch Group from the Basel Watch and Jewellery Show in the «NZZ am Sonntag» newspaper.
However, the following day, an interview was published with Mr Loris-Melikoff claiming that Baselworld had 650 exhibitors “eagerly awaiting the innovations at the watch fair”.
With nearly 18 different brands and a trade fair budget of over 50 million Swiss francs, Swatch is the largest exhibitor at Baselworld to date. In March, only half as many exhibitors as last year (650) were present at this year’s fair. Among other things, critics are calling for new approaches in the organisation and implementation of the event.
Mr Hayek put the withdrawal down to the fact that the traditional watch exhibitions “no longer make sense” for Swatch. Other Swiss brands see this differently, Mr Loris-Melikoff claimed. Expectations are not always the same. «I can understand the impatience of the group, but the decision disappoints me, because I didn't have enough time to work out our new concept in detail», he continued.
Mr Loris-Melikoff has been leading the fair since July, after former Baselworld boss Sylvie Ritter quit following 15 years in the role. Mr Loris-Melikoff wants to try everything to change Swatch's mind and still keep the company.
The article in «Le Temps» claimed that the future of the exhibition company MCH, half of which is owned by the three cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Land, and Zurich, is at stake with the withdrawal of Swatch. As early as 2017, the loss of importance of Baselworld, an important pillar of MCH's business, had pushed the trade fair operator into the red for the first time in its history. As a result of the shrinking presence at Baselworld, MCH had to write off over 100 million francs on its exhibition buildings.
Police catch suspected thieves
Two men who are suspected of committing several crimes, including stealing watches, have been arrested.
An investigation by the criminal police and the youth attorney's office into watch thefts on on 6th July, 20th July and 22nd July,led to two men.Thanks to a tip-off, the cantonal police investigation service was able to arrest the two suspects who were seen in a taxi in Basel’s city centre.
The criminal police and the youth attorney's office will clarify whether the two suspects can be investigated for furthersimilar offences. In the meantime, the coercive measure court and the youth attorney's office have ordered the men to be kept in custody. The suspects are described by police as a foreign youth and a 24-year-old Frenchman.