A 32-year-old Turkish architect living in Switzerland has been “banned” by a group called the “Anti-Erdoğan Committee” from driving her Porsche through the town of Sempach near Lucerne canton. The woman received an anonymous letter from the “Anti-Erdoğan Committee” on Monday, in which she was warned not to drive while wearing a headscarf. “We, the …
Turkish consulate in Zurich vandalized with paint, ‘Kill Erdoğan’ reappears in Swiss streets
The Turkish consulate general in Switzerland’s Zurich was vandalized Monday with different colors of paint, while graffiti reading “Kill Erdoğan” was written on a bus stop and a building near the mission. Consul General, Asiye Nurcan İpekçi, told Anadolu Agency that the attack happened in the afternoon. “Police arrived right after the incident and we …
Swiss hotel tells ‘Jewish guests’ to shower before swimming
A small hotel in the Swiss Alps is facing a barrage of criticism after it put up a sign asking “Jewish guests” to shower before swimming in the hotel pool. Israel described it as “an anti-Semitic act” of the worst kind. The Paradies apartment hotel in the eastern Alpine village of Arosa became the target …
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Swiss parliament votes to ban financing of mosques from abroad
The Swiss National Council, the parliament’s lower house, voted with a narrow majority against financing of mosques from abroad and for expanding general transparency of the mosques’ financial backing. According to the Federal Assembly’s website, 94 members of the parliament voted in favor of the decision, with 89 voting against it. The vote took place …
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Swiss visit by Myanmar army officials sparks controversy
The Swiss branch of Amnesty International has criticised a visit to Switzerland by a high-ranking delegation of Myanmar army officials to discuss federalism. The visit comes as thousands more Rohingya Muslims continue to flee violence in western Myanmar and cross into Bangladesh. “The visit [to Switzerland] is unacceptable in our eyes, as for over a …
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Switzerland: Islamic preacher to be expelled
A district court in canton Zurich has given a Muslim preacher, accused of promoting violence, an 18-month suspended prison sentence. It also ordered the 25-year-old Ethiopian to be deported and banned from re-entering Switzerland for 15 years. Police arrested the cleric in October of last year, after receiving reports of the controversial sermon delivered at …
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Switzerland says no to relocation of migrants from Italy and Greece
Switzerland has rejected a second asylum seeker relocation programme proposed by the European Union to relieve the burden on frontier countries like Italy and Greece. According to the SonntagsBlick paper, a spokesperson from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has confirmed that currently Switzerland has no plans to renew its commitment to accept asylum seekers from southern …
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Swiss region overwhelmingly votes for burqa ban
A second Swiss canton will introduce a regional “burqa ban”, after voters in St. Gallen overwhelmingly voted on September 23 to prohibit all face-covering garments in public spaces. Nearly 67 percent of voters in the northeastern Swiss canton voted in favour of the new law, according to official results, paving the way for it to follow …
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Begging ban upheld by Switzerland’s highest court
Around 250 people in Lausanne have demonstrated against the begging ban in canton Vaud, western Switzerland, which came into force on Thursday. Beggars now face being fined CHF50-100 ($50-100). “Begging is not a crime”, was the slogan of the rally. Ada Marra, a parliamentarian for the leftwing Social Democratic Party, regretted in a speech that the …
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Switzerland’s prison population swells 50% in less than 30 years
Much of this is due to population growth. Switzerland’s population grew 28% over the same period. However, population growth doesn’t account for all of the increase in prison numbers. In 1988, there were 70 prisoners per 100,000. By 2017, the same figure was 17% higher at 82 per 100,000. In 2017 there were 6,863 prisoners …
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