At Zurich rally, calls for Swiss “solidarity cities” and safe routes
Hundreds of people demonstrated in Zurich calling for safe routes for refugees, decriminalisation of sea rescues, and the establishment of solidarity citiesExternal link in Switzerland.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ds
The Saturday rally was spearheaded by “Seebrücke,”External link a movement critical of the European policy shift towards stricter border controls which it says amounts to “letting people drown in the Mediterranean.”
The event’s co-organiser, Anna Schmid, said at least 3,000 people took to the streets of Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city.
She urged Swiss politicians to take a stand and no longer tolerate people dying in silence.
Switzerland, she added in remarks published by the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA, should be taking people in rather than deporting as many refugees as possible to Italy.
Thomas Nuding, captain of the non-profit ship Sea-Eye, said sea rescue of refugees is not a crime but a humanitarian duty and that “unlawfully blocked NGO ships” should be allowed to resume their work.
Nuding said cooperation with the so-called coastguard of Libya, a major departure point for migrants headed to Europe, should be stopped immediately.
There is an urgent need for safe escape routes, Rasheed said.
The International Organisation for Migration reports 84,645 arrivals to Europe in 2018. More than 1,500 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean since January, according to the same source.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.