Last but not least: How much SVP is too much SVP?
SBB does not want a concentration of SVP posters at Zurich Central Station. It has therefore asked its concession partner, Impacta, to avoid such a concentration when placing the posters.
The SVP should no longer plaster Zurich's main train station with political posters in its advertising campaign planned for October. After boot posters on all billboards at the head of all platforms demanding "Stop mass immigration" in the summer, passers-by in the station concourse were then greeted - again across the board - with the slogan "Swiss vote SVP". This concentration of posters did not go down well at all with rail customers, said SBB communications chief Stefan Nünlist on Tuesday in response to an inquiry from the SDA news agency. One had received extremely many negative reactions. Many felt crushed by the political advertising.
SBB now wants to take this criticism into account. For October, the SVP is planning a second wave of advertising with even more advertising material, Nünlist said. SBB has therefore asked Impacta, which is responsible for station advertising, to refrain from piling up political posters of a single party - regardless of orientation - in the concourse and to choose alternative locations. But there can be no question of censorship.
On Monday, the SVP had accused SBB in a press release of influencing the election campaign and not keeping agreements. After CVP posters were still hanging on almost the entire platform front last weekend, the SBB had apparently introduced a "lex
SVP" and changed the rules in the course of the game. Such interference in the formation of political opinion affected the SVP unilaterally. This would make censorship, arbitrariness on the part of the authorities and restrictions on freedom of expression increasingly serious and threatening.
Impacta, a company of Affichage Holding, had lifted the restrictions on political advertising at train stations in 2003. Since then, parties have been allowed to advertise for votes and elections both with classic posters and electronically on the e-boards in the major train stations of Zurich, Bern and Geneva.
Now it's up to Impacta to decide: How much SVP is too much SVP? We are eagerly waiting to see how Impacta will divide up the campaign playground at the main station.
