Extreme-Right politics in Switzerland
Recent stories
Measures to combat hooliganism and racism announced
The government, which has been worried about hooliganism and racism at football grounds in the run-up to the 2008 football championships, is examining proposals to set up databases about troublemakers which would allow the authorities to follow the movements of violent fans.
25 December 2004 (74 words)
Far-right parties want referendum on EU relationship
In December the People's Party, along with the far-right Swiss Democrats began a campaign for a referendum on the Schengen Treaty and Dublin Accords which relate to security co-operation and labour agreement between the EU member states and Switzerland.
19 December 2004 (70 words)
People's Party campaigns against dual citizenship
The rightwing Swiss People's Party has been campaigning to abolish dual nationality.
13 October 2004 (81 words)
SVP to carry on with high-profile campaigning
After its highly effective and rabidly xenophobic poster campaign (which included a much-criticised poster featuring Osama bin Laden on a Swiss identity card) the SVP has announced its next campaign, against Switzerland joining the EU's Schengen accord on cross-border crime.
8 October 2004 (82 words)
Referendum rejects loosening rules on nationality
The referendum held on 26 September rejected government proposals to ease naturalisation rules for foreigners raised and schooled in the country and to give citizenship to Swiss-born grandchildren of migrants.
28 September 2004 (68 words)
Far-Right ad campaign on citizenship denounced
An advertising campaign in various national papers, orchestrated by Goal, an agency owned by a controversial psychologist Alexander Segrette, who supports the SVP, has been warning against voting in favour of amendments to the citizenship laws which could make Muslims into a majority community.
28 September 2004 (198 words)
People's Party tries to control immigration and asylum agenda
The Swiss People's Party (SVP) is trying, via the appointment of Christoph Blocher as Minister for Justice and Police, to control the agenda on immigration.
2 September 2004 (177 words)
Hooligans, not extreme-right pose problem says government
According to a government report, neither the extreme right nor the extreme left pose a threat to safety in Switzerland and the climate surrounding foreign, political or religious extremist groups is 'calm but tense'.
28 August 2004 (80 words)
Court applies anti-racism laws to neo-Nazi meeting
A ruling by the Federal Court that a neo-Nazi meeting held in September 1999 had contravened anti-racism laws, because it constituted a public meeting, has angered members of the Swiss People's Party who call it an assault on freedom of assembly while others say it will help to muzzle extremists.
19 August 2004 (98 words)
Far-Right recruits at sporting events
Swiss authorities fear that sporting events, especially in football and ice-hockey, are being used by far-Right groups as recruiting grounds.
24 July 2004 (136 words)
New immigration law supposed to also promote integration
The House of Representatives voted by 64 to 48 to amend the foreigners law (of 1931) but the SVP denounced the new legislation as too lax, while the Left say it is too harsh.
13 June 2004 (160 words)
SVP's xenophobic general election campaign prompts party rift
The General Secretary of the Swiss People's Party (SVP) has played down the rift in which hard-line and moderate factions are at loggerheads since Christoph Blocher, the de facto leader, took a seat in government.
22 April 2004 (109 words)
Muslim groups warn of rise in anti-Islamophobia
Nadia Karmous, head of the Cultural Association of Muslim Women in Switzerland and Hafid Ouaridi of Geneva's Islamic Cultural Foundation have warned of a rise in Islamophobia after Le Temps newspaper carried an article claiming that half a dozen Islamic organisations, including the Tunisian Islamic Front, Hamas, the Palestinian militant Islamic Group and Algeria's Islamic Salvation Front, active in Switzerland, posed a threat.
21 April 2004 (125 words)
Order of Aryan Knights leader convicted for murder
Four men, aged between 17 and 22, arrested a few days after the body of Marcel von Allmen was found, have gone on trial.
29 March 2004 (154 words)
SVP supports law and order initiative
The SVP is the only political party to endorse an initiative put forward by a group representing victims and their families to seek criminal reforms to allow for the lifelong incarceration for dangerous criminals and sex offenders.
8 February 2004 (80 words)
ECRI highlights treatment of Africans
ECRI has reported on racism in Switzerland.
27 January 2004 (178 words)
General election sees SVP breakthrough
The anti-immigrant Swiss People's Party (SVP) won the largest share of the vote in the October 2003 general election.
19 December 2003 (1097 words)
Report on Swiss wartime past to be adapted for schools
A controversial report by historian Jean-Francois Bergier, into major failings in national policy during the war - particularly Switzerland's treatment of refugees, its co-operation with the Nazi regime and its lacklustre attempts at restitution - is being summarised for use in schools by 14-18 year-olds in Zurich.
1 October 2003 (122 words)
Survey reveals xenophobia
A significant minority of Swiss want immigration to be limited and foreigners to adapt quickly, according to a new survey.
19 August 2003 (84 words)
Africans counter negative stereotypes
The Swiss African Forum, backed by the South African and Nigerian ambassadors has launched an integration forum to defend the 35,000 African community in Switzerland and to counter their negative image.
19 August 2003 (40 words)
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