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MapHundreds of Men March in Bern to Protest Violence Against Women
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Several hundred men demonstrated in Bern outside parliament to protest violence against women and misogyny. Organizers include the Swiss Socialist Party and the committee "Men Against Violence Toward Women."
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Bern rally targets misogyny
Hundreds of men marched in Bern on Saturday outside parliament to denounce misogyny and violence against women, under the name “Men Against Violence Against Women.” Christoph Gosteli, a 42-year-old social worker who co-organised the rally with a group called maenner, said, “We men are part of the problem – the problem being violence against women and queer people.”
The demonstration took place in Parliament Square in Bern as a one-hour solidarity rally organized by a broad coalition that included the Swiss PS (Suisse) and the committee “Men Against Violence Toward Women.” The organizers said men should not look away because violence against women is most often committed by men, and they called on men to take responsibility in cases of reprehensible conduct by themselves or by perpetrators in their circle.
Survey and Justice Minister
The University of Zurich and MenCare, an umbrella group of Swiss men’s and fathers’ organisations, released a survey in June finding that half of male respondents aged 18 to 24 held a “restrictive and dominance-based view of masculinity.” Beat Jans, Switzerland’s Justice Minister, attended a conference earlier this month on the dangers of violent online abuse of women and in a speech on November 2 said, “It is almost always men.”
The survey also called for “a systematic and society-wide debate about ideals of masculinity that promote violence,” beginning in schools, and the rally’s organizers used that framing to urge men to build a stronger counter-narrative. Christoph Gosteli said, “We no longer want to be part of the problem; we want to be part of the solution,” as the demonstration sought to encourage men to challenge misogyny and violence against women and queer people.
Calls for responsibility
The rally’s appeal urged men to show compassion for victims and to take a clear stand, and it framed the demonstration as a response to misogynistic views pushed by the right-wing “manosphere.” Organizers said more than one in two women in Switzerland has already been a victim of sexual harassment, and they added that one in five has reportedly experienced non-consensual sexual acts.
“The rally, held under the name ‘Men Against Violence Toward Women,’ brought together several hundred participants at Bundesplatz.”
The organizers also called on men to take a public stance when those who commit violence are friends, colleagues, or acquaintances, and they said the protest focused on silence and social tolerance that allow assaults to persist. The movement tied its message to the idea that men need to question their own behaviors, report harassment, and stop covering up aggressors within their close circles.