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Thousands join pro-Palestinian rally in Geneva

Several thousand people demonstrated in a pro-Palestinian rally in Geneva on Saturday as Israel readied troops for an expected invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Published: 15 October 2023 08:54 CEST
Thousands join pro-Palestinian rally in Geneva
A protester has a sticker reading "Free Palestine" on her forehead during a rally in support of Palestinians in Geneva, on October 14, 2023. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP.

Police and organisers said around 6,000 people attended, national broadcaster RTS reported. The Tribune de Geneve newspaper gave the same figure.

Protesters marched behind a banner reading “Free Palestine” and chanted “Long live Palestine” and “Israel: assassins”, while dozens waved Palestinian flags. Demonstrators marched under heavy police escort.

Cardboard placards read: “What you’re calling ‘self defence’ is actually a genocide”, “End Israeli apartheid”, “Boycott Israel” and “We want peace in Palestine and not a Palestine in pieces”.

One boy held a placard reading: “Save the children of Gaza”.

Israel pummelled northern Gaza with fresh air strikes on Saturday, one week on from the deadliest attack in its history, as it urged Palestinians to flee the area before an expected ground offensive against Hamas commanders.

There has been no let-up in Israel’s response to the Islamist fighters’ dawn raid, which saw them break through the heavily fortified border and gun down, stab and burn to death more than 1,300 people.

On the Gazan side, health officials said more than 2,200 people had been killed. As on the Israeli side, most were civilians.

Swiss dual-national killed

A Swiss-Israeli dual national was among the victims of the Hamas attacks, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on Friday. The victim has not been identified.

The foreign ministry “currently has no information regarding other victims or injured Swiss nationals in these terrorist attacks,” it said Saturday.

Between 10 and 20 specialists from Switzerland’s disaster victim identification team could be sent to Israel in the coming days to help identify victims of the Hamas attack, the foreign ministry said Friday, following a request from Israel.

Their main task will be to identify the deceased in accordance with international standards, using characteristics such as DNA and fingerprints.

Around 880 people have so far returned to Switzerland on four special repatriation flights from Tel Aviv to Zurich.

However, Swiss International Air Lines has now suspended the flights, citing the expected Israeli ground offensive, cancelling two flights scheduled for Saturday.

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REFERENDUM

Could foreign residents in Bern be allowed to vote?

Efforts to give longtime foreign residents at least some voting rights are gaining momentum in Switzerland. Bern could be the sixth canton to do so.

Published: 28 May 2024 12:28 CEST
Could foreign residents in Bern be allowed to vote?

There have been two prior attempts in Bern to introduce voting rights for foreigners at the municipal level — both unsuccessful.

In 2010, voters rejected a popular initiative by 72 percent.

A decade later, in 2020, the proposal failed to gain support at the cantonal parliament.

Now, however, the prospect of extended political rights for foreigners appears to be on a more solid grounnd: the cantonal government has asked the local parliament on Monday to accept the motion to that effect submitted by several parties.

The government did say it believes (as do authorities in other cantons) that naturalisation still “offers a best path to being able to have a say in politics,”

It added, however, “that naturalisation does not appear to be a real alternative in certain cases – for example for people from countries with a ban on dual citizenship”.

‘Optional’ voting rights

Foreigners can already vote at the municipal level, as is already the case in Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, and Jura (with the latter two also allowing voting on cantonal level).

However, unlike these five cantons, where ‘settled’ foreign nationals can cast their votes in all municipalities, Bern’s proposal is for ‘optional’ rights.

What does this mean?

Rather that making voting a political right across all communities, the canton woulld leave it up to each municipality to decide whether its resident foreigners should be allowed to participate.

Such a system already exists in three other cantons: Basel-City, Graubünden, and Appenzell-Ausserrhoden have given their communes an option to introduce the right to vote, the right to elect, and the right to be elected for their non-Swiss residents. 

However, only few of the communes in these cantons have actually introduced these measures.

What will happen next in Bern?

The political will to implement this change is stronger than it was in the past.

Now the cantonal parliament will have to vote on the proposal. But even if it is approved, it may still end up in the ballot box, where it will be up to (Swiss) voters to make the final decision.

In Geneva too

Bern’s move comes just days before voters in Geneva will head to the polls on June 9th to decide whether foreign nationals living on their territory should be allowed to vote and run for the office in cantonal (rather than just municipal) referendums and elections. 

READ ALSO: Could Geneva be first Swiss canton to grant foreign residents more voting rights?
 

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