Switzerland Today
Greetings from Zurich!
Switzerland’s Eurovision Song Contest winner, Nemo, arrived back home today after the non-binary singer emerged as winner in Malmö at the weekend. Transgender Network Switzerland says the success is a boost for non-binary people in the country. But could this be a reality? Read on for more details.
But first, we bring you the other main talking points around Switzerland.
In the news: pro-Palestinian sit-in protests gather steam, the US and China chose Geneva to sit down to talk about Artificial Intelligence and the re-emergence of communism after a 84-year hiatus.
- Students at several more universities, including Bern, Basel and Fribourg, are staging protests in support of Palestinians.
- Luthansa CEO Carsten Spohr has praised SWISS as being the flagship carrier within the German-owned airline group.
- The United States and China will this week send delegations to Geneva to discuss the potential risks of Artificial Intelligence.
- The Revolutionary Communist Party was launched at the weekend in Bern. Switzerland has been without a communist party since the old one was banned in 1940.
- Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a gel that can break down alcohol in the stomach before it has the chance to release toxins.
Nemo triumphs for Switzerland
In case you didn’t know it already, Switzerland has claimed its first Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) victory since 1988 – and its third in all.
At the weekend, non-binary artist Nemo scored the most points in Malmö with the song The Code. It’s about Nemo’s journey of self-discovery as a non-binary person.
“The fact that this is becoming visible is very valuable for our community,” says Sandro Niederer, managing director of Transgender Network Switzerland.
“Only when this and other discrimination against non-binary people ceases will the fundamental rights of all people be recognised.”
In 2022, the government published a report opposing the introduction of a third gender or no-gender options in Switzerland.
This was backed up by a Supreme Court ruling the following year, which said Swiss people must continue to declare themselves as male or female on official records.
But the court did call for a broader public debate on the issue. Nemo’s very public victory could have pushed that debate into the spotlight. Nemo wants to meet with Justice Minister Beat Jans.
And there’s something else to be sorted out. Switzerland will now host the next Eurovision Song Contest.
Several cities have thrown their names into the hat as possible venues. But not Bern, according to Security Director Philippe Müller.
“ESC, stay away from Bern,” he stated on the social media platform X. His problem? ESC is “thoroughly corrupt”, says Müller. And this year’s event was marred by anti-Semitism, he added for good measure.
But it’s not for Müller to decide by himself. The city told public broadcaster SRF that it has yet to meet to discuss the issue.
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