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Hundreds express anger at Swiss stabbing of mother and baby

200 to 300 people demonstrate against the femicide in Givisiez
200 to 300 people demonstrate against the femicide in Givisiez Keystone-SDA

Hundreds of people have demonstrated in the Swiss city of Fribourg after the fatal stabbing of a mother and baby.

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Between 200 and 300 people laid flowers in honour of the victims and expressed their anger at the crime in Givisiez last weekend.

“We are the voice of those who no longer have a voice,” read one purple poster.

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The rally was organised by the Feminist Strike Fribourg collective, which is also calling for measures to combat sexism and sexual violence at a national level.

The collective believes that there is a lot to be done in the canton of Fribourg, as stated in a press release. There is still no suitable department for the medical treatment of victims of violence at Fribourg hospital.

There is also a lack of a legal basis for the permanent funding of measures to combat domestic violence. In addition, too little funding is available for child protection. At the end of June, the Fribourg cantonal parliament called for a law against domestic violence in a motion.

In Givisiez, a man stabbed his wife and six-week-old baby to death on Saturday. He then tried to take his own life. He suffered minor injuries in the process. The alleged perpetrator is behind bars and has confessed.

“This is at least the 19th femicide in Switzerland this year and the second in the canton of Fribourg,” the collective continued. On April 10, a man visited his wife at work in Epagny, shot her and then killed himself.

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Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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