Four injured in skinhead violence, as worries over extremism rise
Four people were injured on Sunday after a violent confrontation between 50 skinheads and 80 members of the African Club in the eastern Swiss town of St Gallen.
The police moved in to break up the two groups, and although 63 people were questioned, no arrests were made. However, the police seized a number of weapons, including a baseball bat and a flick-knife.
A police spokesman said they did not know who had started the fight. He also said that the skinhead group included members from all over eastern Switzerland.
The incident comes amid rising concerns about an increasingly violent right-wing extremism in Switzerland. Last week the Justice Minister, Ruth Metzler, called for people to be vigilant towards the extremists.
Her comments were backed up on Saturday by the head of the country’s anti-racism commission, Georg Kreis. He warned that some mainstream parliamentarians, including certain members of the Swiss People’s Party, were guilty of stoking up racism.
swissinfo with agencies
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
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.