20 Minutes
The newspaper 20 Minutes reported that the UDC (SVP) presented a motion in the Swiss parliament for an immediate moratorium on asylum. The UDC demand follows a move in Austria last week to stop examining asylum demands to spur other EU members to make more effort to welcome refugees. The UDC’s demand includes a suspension of at least one year on asylum rights. No one would be able to obtain refugee status or arrive in Switzerland on humanitarian grounds during the suspension. Family reunification applications would be halted too.
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Jonathan says
First of all shame on the media for covering such a topic and giving it value. This is nothing more than a political manoeuver to distract the general population’s attention ahead of the upcoming elections. The UDC are well aware that they will never get this motion passed and that it would not only be a violation of every international treaty but it would also result in retaliation from the world as a whole and isolate Switzerland.
Secondly and more importantly, this is a diversion tactic and should be shown to be as such. The right wing cannot campaign on economical nor social issues because all their policies are to keep the status quo. And as we have all experienced, the status quo is not sustainable. Yes Switzerland is doing better than its neighbours but not to worry, our shit will catch up to theirs. We need to have real conversations about wealth inequality, education, access to basic health and social services, gender equality, social justice, environmental sustainability, and a general road map for how to move future for the betterment for all members of our society and not just the privileged. These topics are not being discussed because we are bombarded with irrelevant problems such as asylum seekers which account for just under 1% of the overall population.
One might think the 1% (The economical super class) has found a different 1 %( asylum seekers and refugees who are amongst the most vulnerable in our society) for us to blame so we do not look at the real origins of our problems.
I know that most of the people who will read this are expats and are not allowed to vote in Switzerland but I ask you to please talk to those around you and reject a conversation based on such diversionary manipulations. You can disagree and have real conversations but please do it about actual problems and not these contrived debates that are meant to divert us.
Please start thinking for yourself and questioning what you are told.