Racism incidents on the rise in Switzerland, especially in schools
A protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in Zurich in 2020.
Keystone / Ennio Leanza
Reports of racist incidents in Switzerland rose by almost a quarter in 2023, according to the annual report of the counselling centres published on Thursday. Of the 876 recorded cases, the majority involved xenophobia and anti-Black racism, primarily occurring within school settings.
The members of the network of advice centres for victims of racism received 168 more reports than in 2022, according to a press release by the Federal Commission against Racism (FCR) and humanrights, an NGO dedicated to defending human rights in Switzerland.
More
More
Is racism a problem in Switzerland? A look at the latest numbers
This content was published on
When it comes to racial discrimination, the situation in Switzerland is hardly comparable to that of the United States. But some issues persist.
A significant number of cases – just over 180 – were reported within the education sector, especially in schools. These incidents occurred not only in classrooms but also in school groups created by students on various social media platforms. The FCR and human rights advocates emphasise the need for strengthened prevention measures within the school environment.
Among the factors contributing to the increase in racism, the report highlights the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, the upcoming elections and voting campaigns.
Translated from French by DeepL/sp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Zurich: how the world capital of housing shortages is tackling the problem
Swiss defence minister reaffirms military cooperation with neighbours
This content was published on
On his first trip abroad in government, Defence Minister Martin Pfister visited the Swiss troops taking part in a major exercise in Austria.
Trade unions mobilise against right-wing extremist circles
This content was published on
Under the motto 'Solidarity instead of agitation - strong together!' May Day events are taking place throughout Switzerland this Thursday.
Left-wing extremists in Switzerland call for ‘militant’ rallies on May 1
This content was published on
Left-wing extremist groups are mobilising on social media. The violent activist scene is a focal point for the intelligence community.
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
Racism and discrimination remain issues for many Swiss
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss see racism as an important social issue, although the scale of the problem has remained relatively constant in the eyes of the population.
Why Switzerland should be doing more to fight racism
This content was published on
The UN has pointed its finger at a lack of clear Swiss legislation to tackle racism as well as the lack of enough accessible recourse for victims.
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.