The lower house of the Swiss parliament recently voted to support an initiative to ban Nazi, extremist, and racist symbols. This comes after the Swiss Senate also voted in favor of the initiative. The government has been tasked with developing a corresponding law, which will need to be approved by deputies.
Greens spokesman Raphael Mahaim highlighted the current permissibility of flying swastika flags, displaying SS emblems, and making Nazi salutes in public spaces in Switzerland. Most political movements supported the ban, although the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party opposed it. In the final vote, 133 deputies were in favor of the initiative, 38 were against, and 17 abstained.
Discussions about banning radical symbols have been ongoing in Switzerland for years, but gained momentum after the Hamas attack on Israel and anti-Israeli demonstrations began. Efforts to change legislation were further fueled by these events. This decision marks a significant step towards preventing the public display of symbols associated with hate and extremism in Switzerland.