Climate activists on trial over Credit Suisse tennis stunt
A dozen Swiss climate activists are facing trial after refusing to pay a fine for playing tennis on the premises of Credit Suisse to protest the bank’s fossil fuel investments.
This content was published on
2 minutes
reuters-swissinfo.ch/ds
العربية
ar
مُحاكمة نُشطاء مدافعين عن المناخ بسبب اقتحامهم لمقار تابعة لثاني أكبر مصرف سويسري
The stunt was staged by young activists, many of them students, inside Credit Suisse branches in Geneva and Lausanne in November 2018.
They were fined CHF21,600 ($22,254) for trespassing. Their lawyers are contesting the fine saying that the activists were acting as whistleblowers for the climate emergency.
The trial over the unpaid fines opened on Tuesday at a district court in Lausanne and a verdict is expected next week.
“It is not enough to just go out on the street or to vote, we must disturb a little bit, so people stop acting like nothing is happening,” Paul Castelain, one of the activists, told Reuters outside the courtroom.
Video footage from 2018 shows students dressed in tennis whites playing matches inside Credit Suisse branches.
They wanted Swiss tennis star Roger Federer to drop his sponsorship deal with the bank because of its fossil fuels investments.
Unacceptable
Credit Suisse, which had filed charges against the activists, said it respects their cause but deemed their actions unacceptable.
“Combating global warming is important,” the bank told Reuters. “Credit Suisse respects freedom of expression as a fundamental democratic right. [However,] to protect its clients, employees and branches, it does not tolerate unlawful attacks on its branches, irrespective of the perpetrators and their motives.”
Thousands of students have marched across Switzerland in recent months demanding stronger action on climate change. The financial sector has come under growing pressure to divest from fossil fuels.
Credit Suisse in December said it will stop financing the development of new coal-fired power plants. The activists at the court told Reuters this was not enough.
The Swiss bank is also seeking to align its loan portfolios with objectives laid out in the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
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.
Read more
More
Credit Suisse admits to second spying case
This content was published on
But the bank denied that CEO Tidjane Thiam or the board of directors had been aware of either spying case. The blame has again been laid squarely with former executive Pierre-Olivier Bouée, who has been sacked. The bank had already apologized for spying on former wealth management head Iqbal Khan, who has subsequently moved on…
COP25: a decisive conference for the future of the planet
This content was published on
The international climate change conference in Madrid (COP25) will look at adopting detailed rules for implementing the Paris Agreement.
Using lake water to help reduce Switzerland’s carbon footprint
This content was published on
Swiss lakes offer huge potential as renewable energy sources that can be used to cool and heat buildings. Geneva is expanding a pioneering project.
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.