Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Two weeks after the tragedy in Crans-Montana, Switzerland remains shaken but the fire is gradually losing prominence in the national media. In Italy, however, the disaster continues to dominate headlines. There, the initial shock is increasingly giving way to anger.
One article in particular has stirred debate: Italian journalist and author Roberto Saviano raises questions about possible links between the owners of the Crans-Montana bar and Corsican organised crime.
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Hundreds of people demonstrated against the Iranian regime in Zurich and Bern on Tuesday evening. Iran has been shaken by protests on an unprecedented scale, met with violent repression by the regime.
In Zurich, several hundred demonstrators gathered at Europaplatz near the main railway station, calling for an end to the Islamic Republic. Effigies of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei were burned, but the demonstration remained peaceful.
In Bern, however, police intervened outside the Iranian embassy and used tear gas. Officers described the situation as “tense”. Three men reportedly entered the embassy grounds; one was arrested, while two others remain at large.
For more than two weeks, people across Iran have been protesting against the authoritarian regime. Security forces have responded with brutality. Human rights organisations reported several thousand deaths on Tuesday. In response, US President Donald Trump has threatened possible military action.
Following the tragedy in Crans-Montana, political and media pressure in Italy has intensified. The government is seeking accountability and wants to become a civil party in the proceedings over the fire at the Le Constellation bar, which killed 40 people, including six Italian nationals.
Italy is demanding “complete clarity” over the events in Crans-Montana. At the highest levels of government, grief has turned into anger. “What happened in Crans-Montana was no accident. It is the result of a lack of professionalism by too many people or of the desire to enrich themselves easily,” said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Swiss public broadcaster RTS’ correspondent in Italy Valérie Dupont described the mood on the 19:30 news programme: “There are political statements almost every day, in a media climate bordering on a circus, with Italian talk shows discussing Crans-Montana from morning to night.”
In Corriere della Sera, journalist and author Roberto Saviano questions possible links between the bar’s owners and Corsican organised crime. In his view, the tragedy is “only the visible epilogue of a story that goes far beyond fire safety”. He argues that the couple’s ability to acquire several businesses and properties in one of Switzerland’s most expensive resorts, without bank loans, fuels suspicions of opaque financial dealings and money laundering.
The new package of agreements between Switzerland and the European Union appears to enjoy broader support in Strasbourg than in Bern. Our reporting from the European Parliament shows that many members of the European Parliament involved see no real alternative to the negotiated compromise.
“There is some criticism, but today a majority of members of the European Parliament want stable and lasting relations with Switzerland,” says Christophe Grudler, member of the European Parliament and rapporteur on Switzerland-EU relations. The French liberal member of the European Parliament is preparing a report that the European Parliament is due to consider later this year.
Two main points of criticism emerge among the members of the European Parliament. Some representatives from lower-GDP countries feel Switzerland does not contribute enough for its access to the EU market. “A minority believe we are wasting time negotiating with Switzerland after the framework agreement was abandoned in 2021,” Grudler adds.
Despite this, those members of the European Parliament involved do not expect the package to fail. “That would be ground zero for relations between Bern and Brussels – a freeze that would force a complete redefinition,” warns Austrian MEP Lukas Mandl, a former special rapporteur on Switzerland.
After being targeted by homophobic abuse, Lea Blattner has stepped down as co-president of the youth section of the Swiss Evangelical Party. The party leadership said it was “appalled” and stressed that such attacks are incompatible with Swiss values.
Blattner, 32, explained her decision in an Instagram post on Monday. In April, she publicly spoke about her homosexuality in the Basler Zeitung. Since then, she says she has received hundreds of hateful messages, including anonymous death threats.
“Over time, it became more and more of a burden – especially because of the concrete threats from people who knew where I lived,” Blattner told Swiss public broadcaster, RTS. “It frightened me to the point that I had trouble sleeping.”
Her case is not isolated. Several openly gay members of parliament say they, too, have been repeatedly targeted. The Swiss Evangelical Party has condemned the attacks and encouraged Blattner to file a criminal complaint against the author of the anonymous letter. The Swiss Evangelical Party vice-president said that if the investigation revealed “that it was really one of its members who wrote this letter – for the moment it is only a supposition – we will clearly consider disciplinary measures”.
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