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Swiss green campaigner receives death threats

Swiss environmental campaigner Franz Weber has filed a criminal complaint after receiving a letter from a resident in the canton of Valais who threatened to kill Weber’s daughter and his lawyer.

Published: 8 September 2013 22:38 CEST

Swiss green campaigner receives death threats

Franz Weber. Photo: SRF

The author of the letter, mailed from Saxon in the canton of Valais, blames Weber for “taking my job” and destroying his retirement plan, the ATS news agency reported.

Weber, a resident of Montreux in the canton of Vaud, received the letter last week more than 17 months after voters in Switzerland backed his initiative to limit the number of holiday homes in Swiss municipalities to 20 percent.

The anonymous writer of the French-language letter tells Weber “your daughter and your lawyer must die” and gives deadlines of 18 and 24 months respectively.

Two cartridges from a hunting rifle were included in the envelope with the hand-written letter, dated August 12th but posted a week later.

The letter is signed by a “citizen in deep shit”.

“This kind of behaviour is intolerable and we can well see an uncontrolled emotion,” Pierre Chiffelle, Weber’s lawyer, told ATS, confirming a report carried by Le Matin newspaper.

“One cannot act like that,” said Chifelle, who said a complaint was filed last Tuesday with the attorney general of the canton of Valais.

Weber's Helvetia Nostra (“Our Switzerland”) group has successfully campaigned for the protection of environmentally significant places in Switzerland such as Engadine Valley in Graubünden and the Lavaux wine region in the canton of Vaud.

The letter is now in the hands of cantonal police, who are investigating the matter.

But Weber said he is prepared to withdraw the criminal complaint if the letter writer aplogizes in person for what he or she has done, ATS reported.

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Checklist: What you need to do if you move house in Switzerland

Anyone who has ever moved, whether in Switzerland or elsewhere, knows it is not just a matter of simple logistics.

In fact, whether you are relocating to another town or canton, or just to another neighbourhood, moving is a big, expensive, time-consuming, and stressful experience.

These are various tasks you will have to cross off your list, one by one.

Getting your old apartment in order

It goes without saying that before you move out, you must make sure to leave the place clean and in order. Most people hire a cleaning company to do so, though you can, of course, do this yourself.

If, for instance, you broke or damaged anything while living in the apartment, you must repair it before you leave.

The condition of the apartment will be assessed during the final inspection process, when the landlord or the management company will write down all damages which you are responsible for either repairing yourself or paying someone else to do it for you.

You are not officially off the hook with your previous landlord until this process is completed.

De-register your old address and register the new one

Whether you are moving across the country or just across the street, this is an obligatory step.

You must let your ‘old’ commune’s population office (Einwohnerkontrolle / Contrôle des habitants/ Controllo abitanti) know you are leaving, and from which date.

You can do so either in person or (if available) online.

Then, when you settle in a new home, you have 14 days to announce your arrival in your new municipality, though in some places the deadline may be longer.

You will need the following documents:

A passport or ID card for each member of the family, in addition to a passport-sized photo for everyone
Documents relating to your family status — whether you are single, married, and with children
Your work or residency permit
Your lease contract or proof of home ownership
Your health insurance card or proof of your current health insurance policy.

The rules are the same regardless of where you arrive from, that is, if you are Swiss, an EU citizen or from a third country, however the supporting documentation may vary.

Some cantons may require other or additional documents, which you can find out ahead of time on your commune or canton’s website.

READ ALSO: Why you need to tell Swiss authorities where you live

Inform the post office about your change of address

To ensure that your mail arrives at your new home, fill out the ‘change of address’ form online at least four days before your move.

Four days is a minimum required time for the post office to process the address change and register it in the electronic database.

If you wait longer, your mail will continue to be delivered to the old address.

You also should notify these companies of your move and new address:

Your mobile telephone / internet provider (if you still have a fixed phone, you should have it switched off at the old address and re-activated at the new one)
Your bank
Your insurance companies (health, car, and any other ones you have, both mandatory and optional)
Your doctor / dentist

If you forget to inform anyone of your new address, no worries — the post office will automatically forward the letters to you, provided your notified them of the change (see above).

What about the tax office?

You don’t have to do a thing.

Your local commune will automatically inform tax authorities of your move, so there is no chance whatsoever that they won’t find you.

Rental versus owned property

If you move into a rental property, you don’t need to, in most cases, notify utility providers like the electric company of your move.

But if you are going to live in your own house, then you must let the local power company know to switch on your electricity supply.

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