Anti-fascists Federal Council Georges Oltramare Léon Nicole Jacques Dicker Jean Vincent [fr] Henry Furst † Lucien Tronchet André Bösiger Giuseppe Motta Frédéric Martin Ernest Léderrey Raymond Burnat On the afternoon of the 9 th of November 1932, elements of the Swiss Army under Major Perret fired live rounds into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters in Plainpalais in Geneva, killing 13 and wounding 65.

[1][2] The shooting occurred on a background of increasing violence between far-right and far-left groups, of rising totalitarian regimes, and of unemployment and economic crisis in Europe.

The political climate significantly deteriorated after a series of scandals such as that of the Bank of Geneva, which bankrupted owners of small portfolios, compromised traditional right-wing parties, and led a Radical council member to resign.

In December 1930, the writer and journalist Georges Oltramare (aka "Géo") founded the Ordre politique national (OPN), a fascist political party, whose virulent anti-Marxist stance seduced a part of the bourgeoisie in Geneva.

It had a paramilitary structure, with fascist-style ceremonies and discipline: its members would wear a uniform (comprising berets and grey shirts) and parade with music.

[6] On 6, the Socialist Party requested the meeting to be banned, which the Democratic State councilor in charge of Justice and Police, Frédéric Martin, denied, stating: "right of reunion is a sacred freedom and we will not allow it to be compromised" On the 7th, the Socialist newspaper Le Travail called for a demonstration: "Fascist scum attempts to roam in Geneva (...) they will find their match; without reserve we call upon the working class of Geneva to fight them.

Militants equipped with whistles and pepper to cover the sound of the fascist meeting and to blind policemen and the Union national security staff.

At 11:05, the Conseil d'État, warned by the chief of the Police that there was insufficient personnel available to prevent a riot – 241 gendarmes, 48 rural guards and 62 security agents – decided to deploy the Army.

Late in the afternoon, the first counter-protesters – 4 000 to 5 000 overall – gathered at Plainpalais, some clashing with the gendarmes who, from 5PM, had started to bar people from entering the communal hall without an invitation from the Union nationale.

At 9:34, the retreating troops found themselves cornered against the facade of the Palais des expositions[9] facing around 150 protestors and opened fire upon orders of First Lieutenant Raymond Burnat, with approval from Major Perret.

Two trucks of the Public Works Department, equipped with heavy machine guns, were positioned at the entrance of Rue de Carouge and on Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve.

The left denounced a trap and denied that such brutality was called for : "Conservative journalists, in their true desire to amaze the Bourgeois, their boss, have truly been exaggerating.

They feigned to believe that the Revolution had started, that of the Grand Soir (...) but the people of Geneva – whatever their political stance – (...) know the true extent of the events: a scuffle that was repressed in a terrible fashion, mostly due to tactical and psychological errors of the military authorities, which will have to be held accountable" The correspondent of the Manchester Guardian wrote: "it is not doubtful that in any English town the police would have sufficed to settle such a insignificant affair (...) nothing in these events constituted a riot (...) In my long experience, I have never have known of a case in which the crowd was fired upon with such flimsy reasons.

[16] However, Major Léderrey admitted in his report to the Federal military Department that "recruits, even well trained, are not suited for such tasks, as their officers are usually too young and inexperienced".

On the same evening, the board of the USS and the next morning the Swiss Commission of Workers Unions, meeting in Lucerne, advised against a general strike for fear of losing control of the situation.

Nevertheless, on 11 November, the 225-member assembly of the USCG decided to launch a fixed-duration general strike (by 85 in favour, 58 against and 60 abstaining) to honour the dead, protest the repression, and oppose fascism as well as the cantonal authorities that they accused of having panicked.

Nicole, released on 17 October, returned to leading the Socialist Party of Geneva and conducted the campaign by softening his Marxist overtones as to accommodate Rosselet's moderate wing and attract a centrist electorate disappointed by the rule of the incumbent right-wing government.

Faced with a divided right wing with little more to offer than denouncing the "Red menace", the Socialists won by a large margin, winning 45 out of 100 seats, with only 19 to the Radicals and 14 to the Democrats.