Switzerland
The Land of Neutrality
Policy of Neutrality
Switzerland is well known for its policy of neutrality on the international stage. Its government actively chooses to not take sides in international disputes and in many cases, provides its good services as a diplomatic arbitrator to broker disagreements.[1] How does this reputation of neutrality filter down into domestic political life in Switzerland? Can the average Swiss citizen freely speak or express their political beliefs without repercussion from the state?
Freedom of Expression
Switzerland’s political system is built on federalism and direct democracy which emphasizes the freedom of choice and self-determination and is a feature well-seen throughout the Swiss cantons.[2] The Swiss Constitution also guarantees freedom of expression and belief and freedom of assembly for its citizenry.[3] These key features of the Swiss political structure represent that, legally, Swiss citizens are allowed and encouraged to express their opinions in civic life through their votes and voices.
In 2015, Swiss parliamentary elections saw the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), a right-wing, anti-immigration party, win the majority of seats. This keeps with wider trends of political movement to the right seen throughout Europe. Immigration was a central topic for Swiss voters in this election due to the increase in migration flows from the Middle East and North Africa.[4] Switzerland also came under scrutiny from Amnesty International for violating international legal principles by sending rejected asylum claims back to countries of origin where they might be in danger.[5] This anti-immigrant sentiment is seen in various written forms on buildings throughout Switzerland as documented in this repository.
Despite these trends, Switzerland still ranks high in the Freedom of the World Freedom House Report. In 2018, Switzerland ranked 96 out of 100 with 100 representing the ‘most free’ ranking.[6]
STREET ART IN SWITZERLAND
Finding its start in the 1980s, street art (or graffiti) is one form of political expression found in Switzerland, although it is not always legal.[7] After the general public became accepting of the art form around their cities, local councils started allocating “free spaces” for artists to spray paint on.[8] Yet, street art still finds its home on illegal areas causing authorities to actively pursue a program of cleaning and repainting buildings.[9] Much of the street art in Switzerland is known as a “tag”, aliases that artists give themselves, but there are several examples of spray paint murals that depict political messages.[10]
In 2015, political demonstrators who rallied against budget cuts in the canton of Geneva committed several acts of vandalism including spray painting messages such as the hammer and sickle symbol (commonly associated with Communist governments) and “mort aux flics” (death to cops) on privately owned buildings.[11] While this is an extreme example, the protestors used graffiti as a tactic to express political messages.
Street art remains a common form of expression in Switzerland, be it political or artistic. The act of spray painting a public area continues to occur throughout the country on both legal and illegal areas. Although not every message is overtly political, maybe it can be said that the act of making street art is political in itself.
Graffiti from SWITZERLAND
Pictured below are some of the most intriguing pieces of graffiti the cohort found while living in Geneva. Please click the button below to proceed to the complete repository of Swiss graffiti.
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References
references
[1] Mohdin, A. (2017). Switzerland’s long history of international crisis mediation has had mixed success. Retrieved June 24, 2018, from https://qz.com/1069274/switzerland-and-the-north-korea-crisis-a-history-of-swiss-mediation/.
[2] Swiss Political System – Facts and Figures. (2017). Retrieved June 24, 2018, from https://www.eda.admin.ch/aboutswitzerland/en/home/politik/uebersicht/politisches-system-der-schweiz---fakten-und-zahlen.html.
[3] Switzerland. (2015). Retrieved June 24, 2018, from https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2015/switzerland.
[4] Anti-immigration party wins Swiss election in “slide to the Right.” (2015). Retrieved July 1, 2018, from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/switzerland/11939953/Anti-immigration-party-wins-Swiss-election-in-slide-to-the-Right.html.
[5] The State of the World’s Human Rights 2017/2018. (2018). London. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/POL1067002018ENGLISH.PDF
[6] Freedom in the World 2018: Switzerland. (2018). Retrieved July 1, 2018, from https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2018/switzerland.
[7] Mehrotra, N. (2018). Paint And Scoot: Switzerland Shows Why Graffiti Artists Thrive In Transgression. Retrieved June 24, 2018, from https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/paint-and-scoot-switzerland-shows-why-graffiti-artists-thrive-in-transgression/306412.
[8] Douez, S. (2011). Swiss street art thrives in the mainstream. Retrieved June 24, 2018, from https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-street-art-thrives-in-the-mainstream/30745424.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Geneva cops under fire after city vandalism. (2015). Retrieved June 24, 2018, from https://www.thelocal.ch/20151221/geneva-police-under-fire-after-downtown-vandalism.