Government against banning far-right extremist parties

The justice minister, Ruth Metzler, said the situation in Switzerland didn't warrant an extreme measure like a ban on far-right parties Keystone

The government has decided not to take any urgent measures against neo-Nazi extremism. The justice minister, Ruth Metzler, said on Monday that while the matter had to be taken seriously, it ought not to be over-dramatised.

The government said it would not ban far-right parties, but that legislation relating to acts of hooliganism by neo-Nazi skinheads was envisaged.

“Security in Switzerland isn’t threatened to such an extent that extreme measures need to be taken urgently,” the minister said. A move to contain imports of extremist propaganda has thus also been shelved.

The government has, however, asked the justice ministry to examine current legislation, and present concrete proposals for measures aimed at capping acts of hooliganism perpetrated by skinheads.

The cabinet also demanded that the foreign ministry take the necessary steps to curb the propagation of racist and extremist material over the Internet.

swissinfo with agencies