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New European
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New European
When Switzerland gave Trump the finger
This year the carnival received even more attention than usual, because one group carried an eight-foot tall image of a hand giving the middle finger, and on the tip of that finger was a familiar face: that of Donald Trump. Alongside this huge obscenity, which was wheeled through the streets on a cart, was a group dressed in black costumes, each of them wearing a mask in the shape of a hand, again, with the middle finger gesturing towards the sky. The three-day Basel carnival – the Basel Fasnacht – held every year at the start of Lent, is always a spectacle. The largest Protestant Lenten 'masque', its medieval origins have earned the carnival a place in the Unesco list of global intangible cultural heritage. Carnival groups are known as cliques, and this clique marched in unison, accompanied by the traditional piccolo and drum band. As Trump's unmistakable face went by, the message seemed clear and widely appreciated, including by many of my Swiss friends – 'fantastic', 'I love it', 'hilarious!' What happened next is unique in the Fasnacht's 700-year history – a video of what quickly became known as 'the middle finger parade', went viral. It got 23 million views on TikTok, and a lot of people outside Switzerland seemed to think the footage showed a Swiss political rally rather than a Lenten festival. According to one post on Instagram, 'The parade featured confetti, music, and costumes mocking Trump, reflecting widespread disdain for his character and policies.' A friend told me: 'It got misunderstood and misinterpreted by people. At carnival, it's a tradition that while in the parade you poke fun at politicians – it's a free pass to have a go at politicians who behave badly, local and international ones.' 'We didn't intend to focus solely on Trump,' said Andi Meier, who helped to organise the Trump imagery. 'It was about the general problem that people no longer talk to each other. Trump was just one facet, but suddenly our subject became a global anti-Trump message.' The interest in the middle finger parade has been so great that the clique responsible issued a statement on their website that sounded almost like an apology: 'The symbolism behind the middle finger,' it explained, 'does not express specific hatred or criticism of Trump, rather it is depicting the current attitude that world leaders are currently showing toward each other.' To the British ear, much of this sounds like mere back-tracking. But is it? Almost everything about the Fasnacht is traditional and carefully calculated, right down to the music and how the masks and lanterns are made. The political satire is no exception. A lot of thought goes into every aspect, so maybe there really was more to it. This very different approach to satire is rooted in the distinctive character of Swiss culture. The Swiss political system relies on the art of compromise rather than direct confrontation. No one, not even the right-wing Swiss People's Party has found a way around the need to yield to others at least some of the time. This is necessary in order to find common ground in parliament. And, of course, the art of compromise relies on first talking to each other – hence Andi's distress at today's situation. Outside politics, the Swiss do not like people who attempt to stand out from the crowd too much, or who become too big for their boots: and no role is more self-effacing than that of the Swiss president. You don't know who that is? That's not surprising, as many Swiss probably don't know either given that the presidential term lasts for just a single year. (Our current president is one Karin Keller-Suter from St Gallen.) The Swiss are by nature both very polite and somewhat reticent. Dominating the conversation in the style of Trump is anathema, as is being too direct, which is considered arrogant. While it is undoubtedly true that Basel showed the middle finger to Trump, the people who paraded with the fingers were hoping for a somewhat more self-reflective response than the one they got. Maybe that is why a very large and ungainly dove of peace also featured in the parade, quite some way behind the notorious Trump imagery. But no one outside Switzerland focused on the dove, of course.
Euronews
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Swiss populist politicians demand Paris Agreement exit: Could it follow the US out of the door?
Just hours after he took office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement. The process will take a year to complete but the decision to leave has emboldened other political leaders to put forward the possibility of an exit. Following a vote which overwhelmingly rejected an environmental responsibility initiative, Switzerland's biggest political party has called for the country to follow the US. Dubbing the accords a collection of 'utopian climate targets' the Swiss People's Party wants the country to exit the Paris Agreement. But how realistic is this demand and what would it mean for Switzerland's future climate obligations? Swiss People's Party calls for Paris Agreement exit On 9 February, a referendum saw Swiss voters reject an 'environmental responsibility initiative' - more than 60 per cent voted no. The right-wing Swiss People's Party celebrated the result, claiming that the initiative wanted to 'catapult Switzerland back into the Stone Age'. In a press release, they said restrictions on housing, heating, food and clothing would have all been on the agenda. 'Driving would have been made impossible. Prices would have skyrocketed, jobs and training would have been destroyed. Poverty would have become the norm,' it adds. The Swiss People's Party also used the statement to demand that Switzerland withdraw from the Paris Agreement. 'Utopian climate targets only lead to new bans and billions of francs in additional costs for the Swiss population,' they said. In an interview with Swiss public television RTS, party leader Marcel Dettling claimed that the government 'ratified this agreement without asking parliament or the Swiss people.' 'The government can independently decide to withdraw from this agreement,' he added. Could Switzerland leave the Paris Agreement that easily? Switzerland's Federal Council ratified the Paris Agreement in 2017 after it was approved by parliament earlier that year. It was then subject to something known as an optional or facultative referendum. This gives Swiss citizens the opportunity to challenge the decision over a 100-day period. Because no such challenge was launched, it is then assumed that it has been implicitly approved by the Swiss people. Regardless of Dettling's comments, an initiative to withdraw Switzerland from the Paris Agreement would have to be approved by parliament through a federal decree. This would also mean it would be subject to a referendum and, therefore, the approval of the Swiss public. 'Leaving the Paris Agreement would not absolve Switzerland of its legal obligations to pursue science-based climate action – it would merely strip the country of its influence in shaping future global climate decisions,' adds Sébastien Duyck, senior attorney and Human Rights & Climate Campaign manager for the Centre for International Environmental Law. 'Diplomatically, it would be the equivalent of scoring an own goal.' Do Swiss voters want a Paris Agreement exit? Switzerland's second largest party, the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, said following the vote that the initiative was simply 'the wrong solution to current climate policy challenges'. But, the party added, the most recent votes show that the need for climate action is still a priority for the population. It is a sentiment shared by Environment Minister Albert Rösti, who, despite being a member of the Swiss People's Party, has rejected the party's demands. At a press conference following the result of the referendum, he told reporters that this 'no' was 'certainly not a 'no' to protecting the environment'. Rösti also pointed out that in June 2023, 60 per cent of voters approved a new climate law that seeks to speed up Switzerland's shift to renewable energy and reach net zero by 2050. He told Swiss news site that he still supports the Paris Agreement despite his party's criticisms. 'The population has clearly passed the Climate and Innovation Act 2023. The population has thus committed itself to the Paris climate goals,' Rösti said. 'While some Swiss populists have voiced support for following Donald Trump's decision to exit the Paris Agreement, the majority of the Swiss public remains firmly in favour of climate action, as reaffirmed in the 2023 referendum,' says Duyck. 'Switzerland's government has also just submitted its latest commitment under the agreement.' This national climate plan, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution, commits the country to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65 per cent by 2035. It was one of just 15 countries to submit its updated NDC by the 10 February deadline. What other countries want to leave the Paris Agreement? So far the US is the only country to have initiated the process of leaving the Paris Agreement. But outside of Europe, other world leaders have also floated the idea of pulling their countries out. Argentine President Javier Millei has been entertaining the idea since Trump won the US election last year. He was the first head of state Trump saw at Mar-a-Lago in Florida after his victory and has previously described international climate efforts as a 'socialist lie'. Indonesia, too, has been questioning a Paris Agreement exit since Trump's victory. 'If the USA does not want to comply with the international agreement, why should a country like Indonesia comply with it?' Climate Commissioner Hashim Djojohadikusumo asked at a sustainability forum in early February. Djojohadikusumo highlighted the disparity in carbon emissions per person between the two countries – the US emits around 13 tonnes of carbon per person annually, while the average Indonesian emits just 3 tonnes. The commissioner added that it was not 'justice' for Indonesia to be asked to close its coal power plants with one of the world's largest emitters out of the accords.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Switzerland mulls legalising recreational cannabis
Switzerland will consider legalising recreational cannabis use, after a parliamentary commission on Friday proposed a law that would allow regulated sale and access. The draft proposal adopted by the lower house of parliament's health commission, with 14 votes in favour, nine against and two abstentions, called for adults to be "accorded a strictly regulated access to cannabis". Cannabis can currently only be purchased legally in the wealthy Alpine nation for medical use, or for non-medical use when it contains below one percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the component that gets recreational users high. Trials have been conducted in several regions and cities in recent years testing the regulated sale of cannabis for non-medical purposes. But the vast majority of consumers obtain their supplies of the drug through illegal channels, the commission pointed out. Highlighting a 2022 Swiss survey that found that four percent of people between the ages of 15 and 64 had illegally consumed cannabis in the previous month, it stressed that "cannabis is a societal reality". "The majority of the commission believes the current situation is unsatisfactory and that the prohibitive approach is a mistake," it added. It called for legalising the sale and use of cannabis for non-medical use, emphasising though that this needed to be strictly regulated as a narcotic substance, with the recognition that consumption can be harmful to health. The proposal marks the first step in what could be a lengthy process before an actual law is drafted and approved by both houses of parliament, and likely also put to a popular vote under Switzerland's direct democratic system. "The law must regulate the cultivation, manufacture and trade of cannabis, without encouraging its consumption," the commission said. - State monopoly plan - The Swiss Hemp Interest Group (IG Hanf) hailed it as "a historic moment for Swiss cannabis policy". But the hard-right Swiss People's Party (SVP) -- Switzerland's largest party -- condemned the proposal, with parliamentarian Celine Amaudruz vowing to "keep fighting to the end, because this proposal amounts to banalising the dangers of the drug". In detail, Friday's proposal said that anyone over the age of 18 living in Switzerland should be allowed to "grow, purchase, possess and consume cannabis", and that existing protections against the harms of passive smoking should apply. Any sale to minors should be illegal. The law should allow for individuals to grow up to three cannabis plants for their own consumption. Commercial production would be legal, but strictly regulated, while high qualitative standards would apply, the commission said, adding that all packaging should be neutral without brand names, and should carry warning labels. The sale of cannabis should meanwhile be subjected to a state monopoly, with the products only available for purchase at a limited number of concession-holding establishments. Importantly, the commission insisted that there should be no profit motive for the sale, with all proceeds going to prevention, harm reduction and addiction assistance. And it said the penalties for selling or purchasing cannabis illegally should be harsher than they are today, while there should be zero tolerance for driving under the influence. nl/rjm/gil/giv
