Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
On the eve of the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, the Jewish federations and associations of Switzerland are expressing their emotions. Yesterday Swiss members of the Gaza flotilla arrived home after being detained in Israel in what they describe as “inhumane” conditions.
Today’s briefing also includes the Swiss cows being led to the slaughterhouse because of US customs duties, the explosion in the budget for the Swiss Guards barracks in the Vatican, and the wearing of the headscarf in Swiss schools.
Nine Swiss members of the Gaza flotilla returned at the weekend. They say they were treated “inhumanely” and are “very concerned” about the fate of the activists still detained by Israel.
On their arrival at Geneva airport on Sunday afternoon, eight Swiss nationals explained in a joint statement that they had been victims of “torture and abuse” during their detention in Israel. Ten Swiss nationals are still being held, including the former mayor of Geneva, Rémy Pagani.
The Ticino writer and poet Vanni Bianconi spoke to Swiss public broadcaster RTS, detailing the ill-treatment he suffered in Israel. “It is pathetic to see Switzerland behaving in such a cowardly way,” he said. Faced with this civil initiative, the Swiss foreign ministry warned that it would not intervene, stressing the individual responsibility of each person.
As the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel approaches, the Jewish community in Switzerland is “pensive and worried”, according to Ralph Friedländer, president of the Federation of Swiss Jewish Communities.
Timrah Schmutz, director of the Jewish organisation Gescher, told Swiss public broadcaster SRF this was “partly because of the atrocities that took place on October 7 and partly because of the spiral of violence triggered by that day: the war in Gaza, which is causing so much suffering to tens of thousands of people”.
For the first time in 57 years, a pope took part in the swearing-in ceremony of the Swiss Guards at the Vatican. A joyful occasion, but the problems of renovating their barracks remain.
Pope Leo XIV received a standing ovation on Saturday from the 800 invited guests. He shook hands with the cardinals and bishops present, as well as with Karin Keller-Sutter, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year. At 5pm sharp, the trumpets sounded, signalling the opening of the festivities for the swearing-in of 27 Swiss Guards.
It was a joyous occasion, in stark contrast to the damp and dilapidated state of their barracks. The problem has been known about for ages, and a foundation was set up in 2016 to deal with the work, which has since fallen behind schedule. In addition, construction prices in Rome have reportedly risen by 35% compared to 2022.
Originally estimated at CHF50 million ($63 million), the cost of the project is now close to CHF70 million. The foundation intends to launch a new fundraising campaign and will be contacting the funding bodies – that is, the government and the cantons – according to its chairman, Jean-Pierre Roth.
Up to 25,000 cows face slaughter in Switzerland as a result of US tariffs, reports the NZZ am Sonntag. A 5% surplus in production, combined with a sharp fall in demand in the United States due to customs surcharges, is thought to be the cause.
Increased supply combined with lower demand is automatically pushing prices down. The milk producers’ umbrella group IP Lait is calling for a reduction in the number of cows to maintain milk prices. According to IP Lait, some farmers have already started to reduce their herds and send healthy animals to slaughter.
In order to reduce slaughtering, which represents a loss of income for farms, IP Lait is going to draw CHF11 million ($13.8 million) from an emergency fund to support exports over the next nine months.
Switzerland has 500,000 dairy cows. Normally, 85,000 are slaughtered every year.
The German-speaking part of Switzerland is the scene of a heated debate on the wearing of headscarves in schools. Those on the right are calling for stricter rules, while the left is demanding a ban on all other religious symbols (such as crosses and yarmulkes) if the headscarf is banned.
These are matters for the cantonal authorities. While some cantons explicitly ban religious symbols for teachers, others limit themselves to simple recommendations or simply have no guidelines. As far as pupils are concerned, the veil remains permitted in the majority of cases, according to Blick.
In cantons Schwyz, Bern and St Gallen, elected representatives have tabled motions calling for the rules to be applied impartially and uniformly. In particular, the Social Democratic Party in St Gallen has denounced a “one-sided policy to the detriment of Muslim women”.
The government may soon be called upon to take part in this debate, which is currently being conducted at cantonal level. The Egerkingen Committee, known for its popular initiatives against minarets and the burka, is planning to launch an initiative aimed at banning the veil from all schools – for teachers and pupils.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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