An open doors event to coincide with the 2022 World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos has been called off due to threats.

Members of the Open ForumExternal link event have increasingly been intimidated and even received death threats from conspiracy theorists during the Covid pandemic, a spokesman for the forum organisers told the Swiss news agency, Keystone-SDA, on Friday.

It was decided to cancel the event in January as it was difficult to ensure security at an open doors event, the spokesman added.

Additional measures have been taken, including regular postal mail checks, he said but gave no further details.

The Open Forum panel discussions at a local school in Davos were launched in 2003 following criticism about the closed-door main WEF event.

Numerous government officials, civil society leaders, artists, and business representatives have participated in the events since.

The forum aims “to encourage dialogue and spread awareness on critical issues by providing a platform on which ideas, thoughts and questions can be expressed and tackled in an open environment,” the WEF organisers say.

The main WEF meeting under the motto “Working Together, Restoring Trust”, is scheduled for January 17-21.

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative