Demo supports illegal immigrants
About 2,000 people gathered in Bern on Saturday to bring attention to the plight of illegal immigrants in Switzerland.
They were demanding an end to the “hypocrisy” – pointing out how “sans papiers” do a lot of unpopular jobs in Switzerland, yet have no fundamental rights.
The rally marked the tenth anniversary of the sans papiers alliance, which has launched a petition calling for an end to forced expulsions and more rights for the school-age children of illegal immigrants, among other things.
The demo, which ended in the early evening, was followed by a multicultural festival.
Earlier on Saturday, Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga supported the movement.
While speaking at a Social Democrats party conference in Biel, she described the treatment of illegal immigrants as “one of the biggest hypocrisies in our country”.
There are an estimated 100,000 people living in Switzerland without a residence permit.
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