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REFERENDUM DAY

PROSTITUTION

Results: No to holidays, yes to sex stalls

Switzerland voted against more holidays, while Zurich approved an initiative to shift the sex trade out of the city centre in just two of a series of federal and local referenda held on Sunday. 

Results: No to holidays, yes to sex stalls
Vassiliki Koutsothanasi

Under its direct democracy system, any citizen can put a proposal to a vote if he or she manages to get 100,000 eligible voters to support the cause within 18 months.

Here are some of the key questions put to the population, followed by Sunday’s results:

LONGER HOLIDAYS: Federal level vote on whether to extend annual holiday entitlements from four weeks currently to six weeks.

Union Travail Suisse had put up the proposal as it found that a third of employees in Switzerland were suffering from stress at work, and that two extra weeks of holidays could remedy the problem.

YES: 33.5 percent

NO: 66.5 percent

HOLIDAY HOMES: Federal level vote on whether to limit the construction of second homes in communes to 20 percent. The issue is particularly pertinent for ski resorts, many of which have seen a building boom. But proponents say such building frenzies “disfigures the landscape” and lead to unaffordable homes for locals.

YES: 50.6

NO: 49.4

LOTTERY REVENUES: Federal level vote on whether to allocate all lottery and gambling revenues to public use such as in cultural, social or sports activities. According to Swiss newspaper Le Temps, the two lotteries, Swiss-los and Loterie Romande, generated 2.7 billion francs in revenues in 2010.

YES: 87

NO: 13

PROTEST RESTRICTIONS: Geneva canton vote on whether to impose tougher restrictions on demonstrations. The proposed amendments see fines of up to 100,000 francs on anyone who demonstrates without permission and who does not abide by agreed conditions.

It would also allow authorities to change demonstration itineraries if they posed “disproportionate risks to people” and their property, a move that would give officials the power to ban gatherings in the city centre.

The cantonal government backed proposal has been slammed by a UN expert who says it would “unduly restrict” the rights to free expression.

YES: 55

NO: 45

PROSTITUTION GARAGES: Zurich city vote on whether to build dedicated garages where prostitutes can ply their trade, in a proposal aimed at moving streetwalkers away from residential zones.

Proponents want a parking zone built for prostitutes by 2013 at the entrance to the city. The site would be open from 7pm to 5am and would have an alley where prostitutes and clients can cruise along and garages where they can carry out their transactions.

YES: 52.6

NO: 47.4

Referendum round-up: Swiss on UN collision course after Geneva vote

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DEMONSTRATION

IN PICTURES: Thousands take to Berlin streets in peaceful social justice, climate protest

Thousands of people marched in Berlin on Saturday for human rights, solidarity and social justice and against climate change in response to a call from the 'Unteilbar' (Indivisible) movement.

IN PICTURES: Thousands take to Berlin streets in peaceful social justice, climate protest
Participants hold a banner reading "Stop the climate catastrophe" during a demonstration organised by the "#unteilbar" (indivisible) movement on September 4th, 2021 in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. (Photo by Adam BERRY / AFP)

An alliance of more than 340 organisations and initiatives, including the German Children’s Fund, Amnesty International, Fridays for Future, the German Trade Union Federation and the Berlin tenants’ association, called for the demonstration, according to German newspaper Tagesspiegel.

At the end of the demonstration, police estimated that the number of participants was in the “upper four-digit range”, adding that people mostly observed hygiene rules and wore masks. Some 30,000 people had registered to attend.

The unteilbar movement’s motto is “For a just society based on solidarity”. (Photo by Adam BERRY / AFP)
Organisers of the march decryed the growing divisions in European society that they say are being fuelled by policies that accentuate the gap between rich and poor, which prioritise security over human rights and promote nationalism over inclusion.
The alliance called for “different political priorities” and a redistribution of wealth from the top to the bottom in a tweet, explaining that current policies strengthened inequality in many areas. 
The below picture shows a banner from ‘Wer Hat Der Gibt’, an alliance that says the rich should pay for the crisis.

Participants of the march hold banners printed with ‘No place for racism!’ and “People are not the same, but their rights are’. (Photo by Adam BERRY / AFP)

“We want different political priorities and don’t let ourselves be played off against one other,” said Unteilbar activist Anna Spangenberg, Tagespiegel reported. Those who have political responsibility must “finally tackle the climate crisis consistently and in a socially fair manner” and fight racism and misanthropy, she said.

The country needed a democracy “which guarantees real participation for everyone and which everyone can help shape”, she added.

Participants hold a sign reading ‘No Place For Nazis’ during a demonstration organised by the “#unteilbar” (indivisible) movement. (Photo by Adam BERRY / AFP)

A sign reads ‘Racism is not normal’, a reference to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party slogan ‘Germany, but normal’ at Saturday’s demonstration. (Photo by Adam BERRY / AFP)

“I’m here today because I’ve been fighting for more hospital staff and fair wages for years,” said protester Dana, Tagesspiegel reported. “And I know that this is only possible together and in solidarity.” Another participant, Florian, said he wanted to “make a statement against right-wing parties” and “for human rights” before the general election.

The general election takes place in less than three weeks time and will see Chancellor Angela Merkel step down after 16 years in power.

READ ALSO: Who will replace Angela Merkel as chancellor?

Police officers working at the demonstration said hygiene measures were mostly observed and participants wore masks. (Photo by Adam BERRY / AFP)

A participant holds a flag reading ‘love music- hate fascism’. (Photo by Adam BERRY / AFP)

Participants at the “#unteilbar” (indivisible) demonstration hold banners, one reading ‘Solidarity is #non-negotiable’. (Photo by Adam BERRY / AFP)
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