Dubious website turns out to be satire
Over the past few days, the website Come-to-switzerland.com has made headlines across Switzerland. Now the mystery has apparently been solved: according to operator Markus Gäthke, it is pure satire.
In the past few days, the website Come-to-switzerland.com made headlines throughout Switzerland. Now the mystery has apparently been solved: according to operator Markus Gäthke, it is pure satire. "I was not commissioned to create the website by either supporters or opponents of the referendum," Gäthke said and wrote in a video and a long text on Friday. There was never an offer of advice.
The website claimed to offer advice for German unemployed people wishing to immigrate. This was aimed particularly at Hartz IV recipients. According to Gäthke, the offer was so "dubious" and "overpriced" that every visitor "should have been aware that it was not a serious offer". In Switzerland, the website had triggered an "insane media circus". It is probably easier to attract media attention in Switzerland than in Germany, said Gäthke.
However, the launch of Come-to-switzerland.com continues to raise questions. Just a week ago, Gäthke told the free newspaper 20 Minuten that the content had been supplied by a third party.
However, he did not want to reveal the source.
The website had made headlines in recent days. Various newspapers suspected the St. Gallen SVP National Councillor Lukas Reimann as the author. He has always denied having anything to do with the site. Despite the denials, the business umbrella organization Economiesuisse accused Reimann of "dubious dissemination of information". "Mr. Reimann, that's not Swiss style," Economiesuisse accused the 26-year-old National Councillor in an advertisement.
Reimann then announced a lawsuit against Economiesuisse for defamation. When asked by the SDA news agency on Friday, he stood by the complaint. Reimann did not wish to comment on Gäthke's statement.
The website claimed to offer advice for German unemployed people wishing to immigrate. This was aimed particularly at Hartz IV recipients. According to Gäthke, the offer was so "dubious" and "overpriced" that every visitor "should have been aware that it was not a serious offer". In Switzerland, the website had triggered an "insane media circus". It is probably easier to attract media attention in Switzerland than in Germany, said Gäthke.
However, the launch of Come-to-switzerland.com continues to raise questions. Just a week ago, Gäthke told the free newspaper 20 Minuten that the content had been supplied by a third party.
However, he did not want to reveal the source.
The website had made headlines in recent days. Various newspapers suspected the St. Gallen SVP National Councillor Lukas Reimann as the author. He has always denied having anything to do with the site. Despite the denials, the business umbrella organization Economiesuisse accused Reimann of "dubious dissemination of information". "Mr. Reimann, that's not Swiss style," Economiesuisse accused the 26-year-old National Councillor in an advertisement.
Reimann then announced a lawsuit against Economiesuisse for defamation. When asked by the SDA news agency on Friday, he stood by the complaint. Reimann did not wish to comment on Gäthke's statement.
