The Swiss have sided with immigrants. In an historic referendum held today, 59% of Swiss voters rejected the proposal to efficiently expel foreigners who commit…
The Swiss have sided with immigrants. In an historic referendum held today, 59% of Swiss voters rejected the proposal to efficiently expel foreigners who commit crimes—major or minor—without appeal or due process. The “expulsion initiative” proposal called for foreigners who commit any two crimes within a 10-year period—be it grave crime like murder or a lesser infraction like arguing with a police officer—to be expelled from Switzerland immediately.
The country’s largest political party, Swiss People’s Party, led the robust anti-immigrant campaign, famously using its controversial xenophobic black sheep posters to make its point.
“Today was important for Switzerland because the majority of voters said that national law shouldn’t supersede human rights,” said Justice minister Simonetta Sommaruga, as Bloomberg reports.
Today’s referendum drew 62% voter turnout in Switzerland, the highest since 1992.
