#4m2 action during COVID-19 pandemic in Geneva, Switzerland

In May 2020, an online initiative named ‘#4m2’ enjoined participants from the Swiss climate movement to symbolically occupy various public places in Switzerland for fifteen minutes a day by silently sitting or standing in the middle of self-drawn squares. The goal of the action was to demand ‘a more sustainable post-pandemic society’. On the 6th of May, 4 people taking part in the action in Geneva were arrested and charged through a penal order with a fine of 600 CHF each for not respecting the ban on gatherings of more than 5 people (article 7c of the Ordinance 2 COVID 19) and for refusing to comply with police orders (article 10 LMDPu). In September 2021, the regional court (first instance) was unable to determine whether the gathering involved more than 5 people and noting participants' compliance with police orders within a reasonable timeframe, acquitted three activists of the aforementioned charges. The court convicted the remaining person on the grounds of article 10 LMDPu for its reluctance to comply with police orders, but did not pronounce a sentence (according to article 52 of the Swiss Criminal Code).