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TERRORISM

Report: Swiss society should act to prevent radicalization

The Swiss government has published guidelines aiming to help members of society identify potential cases of Islamic radicalization.

Report: Swiss society should act to prevent radicalization
Teachers should be trained to spot early signs of radicalization, says the report. File photo: Shelby Stewart

The report by the National Security Network (SVS) outlines the measures that cantons and local communities can take to prevent radicalization, covering issues related to education, integration, religion and sentencing.

“Radicalization poses a challenge to the whole of society, a challenge that goes far beyond the competences of the security services alone,” André Duvillard, a spokesman for the National Security Network said in a statement.

“Many figures unrelated to the security services are in direct contact with the population. They can detect early signs of radicalization and counter them with prevention measures,” he said.

Among the report’s recommendations, young people, parents and teachers should be better informed about the role of the internet and social media in radicalization, and teachers should be given training to detect radicalization among their students, it said.

To be effective, cantons and regions should implement a collaborative strategy against radicalization, including giving specific local bodies the responsibility for informing the public on the issue.

It is essential that the Muslim community participates in the fight against radicalization, said the report, which recommends the establishment of a national centre to deal with religious issues of national importance.

As well as identifying concrete steps against radicalization, the report also proposes broader measures including fighting against unemployment, encouraging participation in society and increasing understanding of democratic principles.

The issue of home-grown extremism has been a concern for Switzerland of late, particularly in the town of Winterthur, the home town of several young people who have travelled to Syria in recent years.

In May the city opened a new service aimed at preventing radicalization, modelled on a similar institution in Zurich.

Teachers, social workers and youth workers in the city were among those given training to spot potential cases of radicalization in a series of workshops last year.

CRIME

Hoax bomb threats against French airports ‘traced to Swiss email’

Repeated bomb threats against dozens of French airports which led to evacuations and flight cancellations have been 'traced to an email address in Switzerland', according to French authorities.

Hoax bomb threats against French airports 'traced to Swiss email'

More than 70 bomb threats have been made against French airports in the past week, leading to evacuations at dozens of airports and at least 130 flights cancelled.

Most of the alerts were triggered by emails warning of a bomb in the airport – more than 70 such emails have been received by airports around the country such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, Paris Beauvais, Marseille and dozens of smaller airports – including Basel-Mulhouse on the Franco-Swiss border. 

On Sunday French Transport Minister Clément Beaune said that “almost all of the threats have been traced to the same email address, situated in Switzerland”.

He added: “Since Wednesday, it is almost always the same email address that is used, located outside the European Union, in Switzerland”.

He called on hosting sites to help the French authorities, saying: “Everyone has a responsibility, including the platforms and social networks, not to support this kind of attack and to cooperate as quickly as possible with the French civil aviation authorities and our justice system.”

In France, the maximum penalty for making a hoax bomb threat is two years in jail and a €30,000 fine.

As well as airport evacuations and flight disruption, French tourist sites have also been hit with bomb hoaxes – the Palace of Versailles has been evacuated seven times in the past week.

It comes in the context of a tense situation in France as the country raised its terror alert to maximum after an apparent Islamist attack on Friday, October 13th in which a teacher was killed and two others wounded.

Security at large events such as the Rugby World Cup matches has been stepped up. 

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