Bad weather saves Trump from Davos ‘un-welcome’ rally

Bad weather saves Trump from Davos ‘un-welcome’ rally
Copyright REUTERS/Carlos Barria
By Alice Cuddy
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Swiss activists told Euronews they had planned to protest in Davos to let the president know “we don’t like who you are or what you do.”

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Activists have been denied permission to protest in the Swiss ski resort of Davos this week because of “extreme weather conditions.”

In a statement, authorities said that while it is important for citizens to be allowed to protest, “extraordinary circumstances” meant that a request from various groups had to be denied.

On the eve of the World Economic Forum, heavy snow has built up in Davos, with the Swiss resort advising some residents to seek alternative shelter because of a heightened risk of avalanche.

Andreas Freimüller, president of Swiss campaign group Campax, told Euronews that activists had hoped to hold an “un-welcome rally” for Trump to let the US president know “we don’t like who you are or what you do.”

A petition started by Campax earlier this month, titled ‘Trump not welcome - stay out of Davos’, has already garnered almost 17,000 signatures.

Freimüller said he started the action to give people in Switzerland a platform to tell the US president “to stay away.”

'Access Denied': Campax petition

“Like everyone else, we were shell shocked when Mr. Trump got elected and we feared horrible things... The good thing is the world hasn’t blown up but he has behaved in so many ways that are beyond people’s imaginations,” he said.

According to Freimüller, Swiss citizens signing the petition range from “teachers from mountain valleys who don’t like the dismantling of environmental protocols to women who don’t like ‘pussygrabbers.’”

Freimüller said he believed Trump was coming to Davos “for the glory, for the attention.”

“He’s not suited to deep conversations,” he said.

Activists are still waiting to hear back from a separate request to hold a protest in the city of Zurich on Thursday.

Trump is set to become the first sitting US president to attend the annual gathering of world leaders and chief executives in almost 20 years.

The World Economic Forum has said his involvement will “allow participants to get a direct perspective on US political and economic priorities.”

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