Minneapolis outrage, apps for boycotting US goods, and anti-MAGA crows

A resident walks through tear gas deployed by federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, earlier this month. Protestors took to the streets after immigration agents fatally shot two people. Keystone/swissinfo

Welcome to our press review of events in the United States. Every Wednesday I look at how the Swiss media have reported and reacted to three major stories in the US – in politics, finance and science.

This week headlines in Switzerland were dominated by the killing in Minneapolis on Saturday of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, by US Border Patrol agents. Swiss newspapers were horrified – “it simply does not stop. It keeps getting worse,” wrote the Tages-Anzeiger in Zurich.

People raise their fists in a show of solidarity at a makeshift memorial for Alex Pretti in south Minneapolis on Sunday. Keystone

The second fatal shooting of a US citizen this month in Minneapolis by federal agents has triggered a national political crisis, putting US President Donald Trump under “unprecedented pressure”, according to the Tribune de Genève.

“The Democrats are threatening to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Republican politicians and the NRA [National Rifle Association] are distancing themselves from the White House,” the paper wrote on Monday.

On Saturday Alex Pretti was shot dead by federal agents from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), two-and-a-half weeks after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good.

“ICE agents are out of control” was the headline of an editorial in the Tages-Anzeiger on Saturday. “It has become clear that these paramilitary‑style units are crossing the boundaries of the rule of law – and that the political authorities are protecting them.”

“It simply does not stop. It keeps getting worse,” the paper wrote, adding that a “ray of hope” were the citizens of Minneapolis, “who on Saturday took to the streets by the thousands despite freezing cold, who stand up for their neighbours despite the risks, who document what is happening so that the world can learn about it. But that alone will not be enough.”

According to the Tages-Anzeiger, ICE can be stopped only if society and politics as a whole push back. “Members of Congress should think of Liam and of Renee Good when deciding on funding for ICE,” it said. Liam Ramos is a pre-schooler detained by ICE last week as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown. Pictures of him looking confused as he is taken away by ICE appeared in media all around the world, including in Switzerland.

The Tages-Anzeiger concluded: “The MAGA base should ask itself whether this is really what it understands to be a ‘great America’: a country where paramilitary forces shoot protesters and drag away five‑year‑olds with Spider‑Man backpacks.”

• Alex Pretti’s death begins to split the Republican campExternal link – Tribune de Genève (French, paywall)

• ICE agents are out of controlExternal link – Tages-Anzeiger editorial (German, paywall)

• Wave of anger after arrest of 5-year-old boyExternal link – Le Matin (French)

• Corporate bosses are now also rebelling against TrumpExternal link – Tages-Anzeiger (German, paywall)

• Trump smoothes the waves – at least superficiallyExternal link – NZZ (German, paywall)

• Coverage on SRFExternal link and RTSExternal link (German, French)

Shopping in a Swiss supermarket. Do you know who owns the brands you are buying? Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Many Danes are furious with the United States – and are venting their anger when they go shopping. New apps enable them to boycott American products, several Swiss media reported this week.

Donald Trump’s views on Greenland – “we have to have it” – are having an impact in Danish supermarkets. Unsurprisingly, “some Danish residents no longer want to buy American products”, RTS said on Monday.

But how to tell whether this chocolate bar or that yoghurt has travelled across the Atlantic? The answer’s just a quick smartphone scan away. “No, these peanuts are not American,” says the UdenUSA (without the US) app, developed a few months ago by 21-year-old Jonas Pipper with a friend. In just a few days, it has become one of the top Danish downloads.

“However, it’s unclear what effect such a boycott could have,” said the Tages-Anzeiger in Zurich. “After all, the Danish economy is comparatively small – and only a few food products come directly from the US.” (The figure is barely 1%, according to RTS.)

“I’m waiting for a corresponding app for Switzerland,” wrote one reader in the Tages-Anzeiger. “It may be true that boycotts of American products by small nations don’t have a significant and noticeable influence on production in the US, but if several small economies join these ‘popular protests’, at some point it will also become noticeable for the ‘big’ US.”

The same movement is having a much greater impact in Canada, RTS said. There, more than 20 boycott applications have sprung up since Trump publicly spoke of a potential annexation of Canada and imposed high tariffs.

“Whether it’s in Canada or in Denmark, the fact that most people download the apps on an American smartphone and via an American platform in order to then boycott US products is a small irony,” RTS noted.

• Article on apps that help Danes boycott US products – RTSExternal link (French), SRFExternal link (German), Tages-AnzeigerExternal link (German, paywall)

• Most Swiss ready to steer clear of US products due to tariffs – Swissinfo, May 2025

An attendee at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss resort of Davos last week. Keystone / Pierre Teyssot / MAXPPP

Following the news last week that Veronika the cow uses a broom to scratch different parts of her body, the Tribune de Genève now reports that a man has trained some crows to attack red caps, “such as those worn by supporters of the MAGA movement”.

“Crows are thought to be among the most intelligent animals on the planet, so there’s nothing exceptional about the fact that they can be trained,” the Tribune de Genève wrote. “What’s more unusual, however, is that an American has come up with the idea of training a bird to attack red caps.”

The newspaper pointed out that headgear of this type and colour is frequently worn by supporters of US President Donald Trump and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

“Some folks want to befriend crows, or get them to bring trinkets. I have … other goals,” biz_dav, as the man is known on social media, wrote on threads.com. His comments were picked up by science and technology website Futurism.

He explained how it took about four months to get the crows to come to the feeding place regularly and then three months to get them “to the hat removal stage”. This was done by hiding peanuts, chicken scraps, mealworms, and dog kibble under a red baseball cap, “thus encouraging the animal to lift it up to feed itself”, the Tribune de Genève said.

“I think animals are amazing,” biz_dav said. “I love the psychology of training, and I was feeling like doing some sort of resistance that could bring in an element of absurdity. So, I set a goal, laid out my plan, and you see the results.”

• Crow article at the Tribune de GenèveExternal link (French) and FuturismExternal link

• Video of crows and red hatsExternal link – Threads.com

• Swiss-funded study finds cows are smarter than originally thought – Swissinfo  

• Ravens, crows and jackdaws are clever – but how far does this intelligence extend?External link – SRF from 2021 (German)

The next edition of ‘Swiss views of US news’ will be published on Wednesday, February 4. See you then!

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