Anti-minaret poster: Swiss cities disagree
Swiss cities are unable to reach a consensus on the controversial anti-minaret poster. On Thursday, Zurich, Winterthur, and Lucerne followed the lead of Geneva and St. Gallen and approved the poster. Fribourg, on the other hand, joined Basel, Lausanne, and Yverdon in banning the poster from public spaces.
However, even the cities that have refrained from banning the poster are not fully behind it. Zurich, Winterthur and Lucerne condemned it, as did the Federal Commission against Racism (FCR) on Wednesday.
However, according to SDA, Winterthur does not see a sufficient legal basis for a ban on poster displays. The freedom of expression enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the political rights guaranteed by the Constitution would stand in the way of a ban. Zurich also has legal concerns and refers to the FCR. The expert opinion states that the poster does not violate the Anti-Racism Act. Zurich therefore allows the poster to be displayed "within the framework of freedom of political expression". Lucerne points out the conflict between freedom of expression and the violation of religious feelings. For Lucerne, the balance of interests is in favor of freedom of expression. The public expression of opinion in the run-up to a referendum has priority.
Not conducive to social cohesion
Fribourg is of a different opinion: for the cantonal capital, protection against discrimination prevails. In this context, it refers to the ECR's report. According to this, the posters feed prejudices and are not conducive to social cohesion.
The anti-minaret initiative will be put to the vote on November 29. The petition submitted by the SVP and the EDU consists of a single sentence that is to be added to Article 72 of the Federal Constitution on church and state: "The construction of minarets is prohibited".
However, according to SDA, Winterthur does not see a sufficient legal basis for a ban on poster displays. The freedom of expression enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the political rights guaranteed by the Constitution would stand in the way of a ban. Zurich also has legal concerns and refers to the FCR. The expert opinion states that the poster does not violate the Anti-Racism Act. Zurich therefore allows the poster to be displayed "within the framework of freedom of political expression". Lucerne points out the conflict between freedom of expression and the violation of religious feelings. For Lucerne, the balance of interests is in favor of freedom of expression. The public expression of opinion in the run-up to a referendum has priority.
Not conducive to social cohesion
Fribourg is of a different opinion: for the cantonal capital, protection against discrimination prevails. In this context, it refers to the ECR's report. According to this, the posters feed prejudices and are not conducive to social cohesion.
The anti-minaret initiative will be put to the vote on November 29. The petition submitted by the SVP and the EDU consists of a single sentence that is to be added to Article 72 of the Federal Constitution on church and state: "The construction of minarets is prohibited".
