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Glance around Switzerland: Begging fines, cable car rescue and ID cards for illegal immigrants

Our round up of stories that you might have missed this week includes protests against begging fines, an emergency cable car rescue, continued construction strikes and more.

Published: 2 November 2018 13:33 CET
Glance around Switzerland: Begging fines, cable car rescue and ID cards for illegal immigrants
lostation/ / depositphotos

We have tried to give you a brief overview of each chosen story as well as a link so you can read more and follow up on it, if you want. 

Hundreds protest begging fines 

Photo: halfpoint / depositphotos

A crowd of around 250 people took to the streets of Lausanne this week to protest against a begging ban in canton Vaud, which came into effect on Thursday.

As a result of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) 2016 initiative, people caught begging could now face a fine of up to 100 francs. Anybody found organising begging rings or making minors/dependants beg will be fined 500-2000 francs.

Ada Marra, of the Social Democratic Party, said it was regrettable that the “protection of the weakest was no longer guaranteed” and that the “poorest are now being criminalised”. 

More on this story can be found on the Blick website.

 

Rescued from cable car nightmare

Photo: kamizz / depositphotos

Eight people had to be rescued from a stranded cable car in the Rhine Valley by the Alpine Rescue Switzerland team (SAC) on Wednesday. Trapped passengers had to rappel from the cable car to get to safety during the two-hour ordeal.

The accident was the result of an empty cable car, further down the hill, becoming dislodged from its support cable and falling 12 metres to the ground. It is said to have caused more than ten thousand francs in damages.

Alarmingly, the cable car involved was only opened in April this year. At the time it was heralded as a world first due to it being self-operated. In the event of high winds, the system is supposed to automatically stop cable cars from being active. Reports suggest it was very windy when the incident happened. 

Authorities are currently investigating the cause and cable cars have been stopped until further notice. Pictures and more information can be found on Der Bund website.

 

Zurich wants ID card for all

Advocates show support for the ID card. The placard reads: “No person is illegal. Photo: Züri City Card Facebok Page

On Wednesday this week, Zurich city parliament voted in favour of introducing identity cards for all residents – including the estimated 14,000 ‘Sans Papiers’ or people living there illegally.

Advocates of the ‘Zuri City Card’ say all citizens of Zurich – regardless of residence status – should be allowed basic human rights and that the card would allow people to identify themselves to authorities, in particular the police.

They also say the card should grant holders access to public and private services without the fear of being arrested.

Zurich’s city council was itself against the motion, suggesting that giving illegal immigrants an identity card “could give undocumented migrants a false sense of security”.

More on this story can be found on SRF.

 

Construction strikes continue

Photo: jekershner7 / depositphotos

Following on from earlier strikes in Ticino and Geneva, another 1500 construction workers in the French speaking part of Switzerland put down their tools this week on Tuesday.

Strikers are a fairly rare occurrence in Switzerland but have been more regular this year (including 18,000 people striking last June in Zurich) due to ongoing issues over a new union agreement in the construction sector – particularly related to retirement age.

Read more: Why are strikes so rare in Switzerland?

This week, was the turn of workers from the cantons of Freiburg, Neuchâtel, Valais and Jura. The strike saw 80% of construction sites in Neuchâtel closed. More construction workers across Switzerland are expected to follow suit next week.

More on this story can be found on Le Journal du Jura website.

 

Capsule hotel opens in Lucerne

One of the pods on offer at Capsule Hotel Lucerne. Photo: Capsule Hotel Lucerne Facebook page

Earlier we showed you pictures of the brand new M-Budget hotel which has opened in St Gallen. But if that doesn’t sound like your thing, you might want try the Capsule Hotel in Lucerne.

As in similar hotels in Japan, guests sleep in small, futuristic bunker-like rooms to maximise space. From November 5, guests will be able to choose from the 19 pods on offer there.

The new hotel offers four different types of ‘rooms’ – including a larger premium pod and an option for women. 

Read more: In Pictures: First ever M-Budget hotel room unveiled

 

Arnie allies with Switzerland 

Arnold Schwarzenegger with the University of Zurich's Christian Schwarzenegger. Photo: University of Zurich

The University of Zurich has forged an unlikely alliance with action movie legend Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Swiss university will work alongside the USC Schwarzenegger Institute and the non-profit organisation R20 – founded by Schwarzenegger – on the ‘Green Economy and Finance Initiative’.

“(We) will work together to accelerate the transition to sustainable clean energy and make the world safer and healthier for all its citizens,” said former Mr Olympia Schwarzenegger, in a statement on Monday.

More on this story can be read on the SwissInfo website.

 

PROTESTS

How free are people to protest in Switzerland?

As a centre of international diplomacy and cooperation and with its unique system of direct democracy, Switzerland enjoys a reputation for upholding fundamental human rights—but how free are the Swiss to express their opposition to power?

Published: 24 April 2024 15:25 CEST
How free are people to protest in Switzerland?

In its recently released 2024 report, Amnesty International criticised Switzerland for imposing restrictions on the right to protest and for dispersing protests violently. 

So what’s the problem? 

While not an explicit ban on protest, Amnesty International considers the obligation in some Swiss cantons for protest organisers to gain official approval and shoulder potential costs to be a repressive measure—essentially a ‘workaround’ in cooling dissent.

Amnesty International’s criticism comes on the heels of other concerns.   

In 2024, Amnesty International joined with the United Nations in criticizing moves by some Swiss cantons and cities to ban protests regarding the Middle East conflict as ‘disproportionate’. 

Read More: How ordinary citizens can try to change the law in Switzerland

The organization has also highlighted the continued use of rubber bullets by Swiss police in dispersing protests as a serious area of concern. 

Furthermore, any changes to protests are controlled or permitted in Switzerland must be made through individual cantons due to the country’s devolution of specific powers – a process that could take years. 

So what restrictions have been introduced in Switzerland?

In early March, the ‘Anti-Chaoten’ initiative put forward by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) youth wing, which would have placed significant legal and financial burdens on protesters, was rejected in a Zurich cantonal referendum. However, a counterproposal by cantonal authorities was accepted at the polls.

The successful counterproposal requires explicit permission from authorities to hold a protest or rally, as well as passing on the cost of the police operation, as well as any intentional damage, to protest organizers. Failure to gain approval for protests can result in charges being laid. 

Following the success of the Zurich measure, the Basel SVP intends to introduce a similar proposal to be voted on in August – with the same likely result.

Which protests have been dispersed violently in Switzerland? 

Due to global events, protests have become increasingly common in Switzerland over the last five years. Most have been peaceful, but there have been exceptions.

Measures introduced to limit the spread of the coronavirus between 2020 and 2022 led to violent protests being dispersed in Bern, Zurich and Lucerne. 

Read More: Switzerland to impose tougher penalties for violent protesters

Climate change protests have also been violently dispersed by police, using pepper spray and rubber bullets – such as in Basel in February 2023.

Amnesty International has also raised serious concerns regarding the police dispersal of an International Women’s Day protest in Basel on March 17th of this year, in which rubber bullets were also used. 

Most recently, opponents of the Eritrean regime were dispersed with tear gas and water cannons at a demonstration in Gerlafingen, Aargau, on March 31st. 

What right do the Swiss have to protest? 

The right to peaceful protest is enshrined in the Swiss federal constitution—Article 16 provides for freedom of expression, while Article 23 protects the right to free association. 

Indeed, in 2020, the country successfully introduced a resolution to the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling for world governments to protect the right to protest and not use the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to curtail freedoms. 

Read More: What foreigners should know about the Swiss constitution

Furthermore, the country is a signatory to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, as well as the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, which could have some bearing on how protests are dispersed.  

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