This article (in English) provides a quite differentiated and carefully formulated view on issues of immigration. The article further problematizes the political initiatives made for example by the Swiss People Party (SVP) in relation to immigration. Although newspaper articles, where immigration is mostly represented in a more or less objective and factual perspective, the images used often provide a different impression.
High immigration from Eastern Europe
The article heading this picture reports the ongoing discussion about the implementation of the safety valve (Ventilklausel) in order to regulate the immigration of workforce from EU countries to Switzerland. Article (German)
The article with this image also discusses the safety valve and especially the rapidly increasing population number in Switzerland. The article calls for a stricter regulation of immigration, before it is to late and Switzerland bursts. Article (German)
Further, provoking pictures are widely used in political discourse and mobilization. Here some examples:
Posters by the SVP. Left: Ivan S. rapist, soon Swiss? NO, to the counter initiative, YES for the deportation initiative. Right: YES, to the deportation initiative, NO to the counter initiative. The deportation initiative called for a stricter regulation for criminal foreigners, eventually leading to their deportation (depending on the crime). The initiants dismissed the counter initiative as 'not going far enough'.
Left: before, right: after; therefore: NO to the free movement agreement with the East.
Now is enough! Stop mass immigration:
- So that we have less criminal and violent foreigners in Switzerland!
- So that we do not feel foreign in our own country!
- So that your children are not the only Swiss in their class!
- So that our social systems do not get ruined!
- So that your salary does not decrease and you do not loose your job!
Swiss vote for the SVP
The logo on the left states: Swiss quality SVP
Native americans could not stop immigration either...
Today they live in reservations...
(Source: homepage of the Swiss Democrats Party, minor (strongly) right wing party)
Throughout all of these images immigrants are represented in a very negative light. They are depicted as criminals, violent, swindlers taking advantage of the welfare system, etc. The images do not differentiate immigration (labor migration, refugees, asylum seekers, etc) and are very generalizing. Especially the last image is out of context, comparing the conquest of the Americas with immigration to Switzerland.
The article from Revue Suisse highlights some relevant points. For example the fact that the increase is primarily explained by the fact that immigration from EU countries has been made easier by the free movement of persons. And also that the largest immigrant groups arrived from Portugal and Germany. Immigration from countries outside the EU only climbed slightly.
ReplyDeleteBesides, I have a question about this passage : "In its dispatch on the SVP’s popular initiative, the Federal Council warns that the proposal is directly opposed to the agreement with the EU on the free movement of persons. The Federal Council points out that the termination of this agreement would have “grave consequences for the Swiss economy which earns one in two francs in the EU”. It would jeopardise the entire set of bilateral agreements."
-> Does it mean that the Federal Council does not give its support to the SVP for eventullay an economical reason (the threat over the relations with EU)more than purely altruist ?
As far as I'm informed the Federal Council opposes the SVP initiative mainly on economical and also political grounds (relations with the EU), as the initiative jeopardizes the whole set of bilateral agreements Switzerland has with the EU (going much further than the 'free movement of people'). Altruistic, or maybe rather humanitarian stances are usually hold in relation to development aid, on-location aid in crisis situations, or when receiving refugees in the context of UN refugee contingents. In this context it is sometimes argued that Switzerland, with it's humanitarian tradition should or could do more (SVP arguing especially for the on-location aid).
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ReplyDeleteImmigrants -especially the ones without papers- are always seen as "scapegoats". If there is unemployment, rise in criminality or economic problems, immigrants, refugees, or the ones without papers are ready there to be deported or being accused. These kind of propogandas seem to stay in one dimension and they never dare to question more. So the so called status of them being "scapegoats" stay to be a defence and a gun for the state.
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