Swiss MPs voted on Wednesday in favor of banning the public display of extremist, violence-inciting and racist symbols, starting with those of a Nazi nature. The lower house of Parliament, the National Council, adopted this measure by 133 votes to 38, already ratified in December by the Council of States, the upper house.
Switzerland, which remained neutral during World War II, came under pressure to align with a number of other European countries in outlawing Nazi symbols, following the example of Germany, Poland and several other Eastern European states where this ban is total.
This also concerns gestures, words, greetings or flags. The National Council also voted by 132 votes to 40 for this measure to be introduced in stages, an approach supported by the government.
Nazi symbols
The proscription of Nazi symbols, which are easily identifiable, could in fact be quickly implemented, while other racist and extremist symbols could be identified and banned later.
“We don’t want a swastika or a Hitler salute in our country, ever!”
, launched the environmentalist MP Raphaël Mahaim, according to whom
“there has never been and there will never be good reasons to display a swastika or another symbol of Nazi ideology, at the origin of the darkest pages in the history of humanity
.
The Minister of Justice, Beat Jans, for his part underlined that if the government - the Federal Council - had until now focused on prevention as the main bulwark in the fight against racism, he now considered that legal provisions were necessary. The number of
“anti-Semitic incidents, particularly those involving the use of Nazi symbols
,” has
“increased sharply in recent times
,” he lamented.