Famous for fondue, skiing and for maintaining a position of neutrality, Switzerland is under a double spotlight this week, and what's been shown up, well it's not pretty.
A member of the United Nations, the country plays host to a large number of international institutions including the World Trade Organisation, the Red Cross, and World Health Organisation. The country which is the second biggest centre for the UN after America, has one of the highest refugee intakes in Europe with an estimated 48,000 refugees seeking asylum. However, recent restrictions and a celebrity's embarrassing encounter has raised questions of just how accepting this country actually is.
Last month, Oprah Winfrey, one of the the richest women in America, was allegedly snubbed in an exclusive shop in Switzerland's largest city, Zurich. When the TV personality requested to see a handbag costing in excess of £20,000, the shop assistant supposedly declined her request as it was 'too expensive' for her. The owner later claimed it was simply a 'misunderstanding' whilst the Swiss tourist office has apologised to Ms Winfrey with a spokesperson announcing in a statement today 'We are very sorry for what happened to her'.
It may be the talk show host was the unfortunate victim of an anomaly; a racist shop assistant that in no way represents the majority of the Swiss public. The concern is, what if instead of being a anomaly, the assistant is actually an accurate representative of an inherent racism deeply rooted in the European country? The recent refugee restrictions mean we could potentially be looking at an ugly answer.
The municipality of Bremgarten in Northern Switzerland has been granted permission by the Swiss government to limit the movements of refugees within the area. 32 'exclusion zones' have been created where asylum seekers do not have permission to enter including day care centres, nursing homes, church yards and community halls. With these restrictions, I'm not entirely sure how a refugee is to set up a new life... what is a single working parent going to do if they cannot go to a child care centre? Where is a devout Christian going to go to worship?
Raymond Tellenbach , the mayor of Bremgarten, has defended the restrictions in his town stating "For security reasons, we decided to make these areas inaccessible to order to avoid potential conflict and primarily to prevent the consumption of drugs... We are not inhuman." Okay, not inhuman, just very prejudiced. The head of the Migration Ministry, Mario Gattiker, announced his approval of the move, citing public safety as his concern. Gattiker told the Swiss press the restrictions have been enforced in order to 'help avoid friction and resentment'. If anything, these bans will incite friction not avoid it.
Bremgarten is not the vanguard of exclusion zones, other towns throughout the country, notably in Lucerne, have already enforced a variety of bans ranging from forests to nursing homes. People who have come to the country to try and make a better life for themselves and their children will not face further adversity in their supposed sanctuary. The riots in Sweden earlier this year showed us the dangers of sub communities forming in countries where refugees are not fully integrated into their new society, surely Switzerland risk a similar situation occurring if they ban the refugees instead of incorporating them into Swiss communities?
I understand the public may be uneasy at the recent spike in asylum requests, but if that is the case, why not limit the number of refugees rather than granting them asylum than imposing restrictions and laws onto them? Imposing these bans is quite frankly degrading and humiliating, granting asylum is not enough if you are going to continue to persecute them for simply existing and keep them segregated from the rest of the population. I simply cannot comprehend why a country who hosts a multitude of UN organisations simultaneously restricts human rights. Maybe I am naive, perhaps I am missing something here, if I am, please feel free to comment below, alternative opinions on this matter will be greatly welcomed!
Lora
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