Russian culture and language lessons scrapped over Z-symbol
A woman was spotted wearing the Z-symbol at the Swiss Federal Wrestling and Alpine Festival (ESAF) held late August in the region of Basel.
unbekannt
A Russian cultural association lost permission to teach in Switzerland after one of its members displayed the controversial Z-symbol at an Alpine wrestling festival. The Z-symbol is painted on Moscow’s military vehicles in Ukraine and is considered as a pro-war gesture.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/ds
Русский
ru
Русское объединение в Швейцарии споткнулось о военный символ Z
A Russian woman sparked controversy in August because she wore the Z-symbol on her costume at the parade of the Federal Wrestling and Alpine Festival held in Pratteln, canton Basel Country. She was a member of Russkij Basel, which organises Russian culture and language classes for primary school students in the cantons of Basel City and Basel Country.
Local education authorities decided this week to withdraw the association’s permit to provide courses over the scandal and fresh findings that led it to question the teaching environment. The decision comes into effect after the school autumn break.
No neutrality
“Based on the facts that have become known in recent weeks, and in particular due to the activities of a teacher… that have become known, the association no longer offers a guarantee for politically neutral teaching and the recognition of our fundamental rights and values,” said Basel’s Director of Education Conradin Cramer told the Grand Council on Wednesday.
The decision was expected but was taken only this week to allow the association an opportunity to be heard, according to Keystone-SDA news agency. Cramer noted that in the spring of 2022 a cantonal supervisor had visited the lessons of the association and found no signs of political influence.
The August 26 incident sparked outraged. The Ukrainian ambassador to Switzerland had been expected to attend but cancelled his visit to the festival over the matter. Several athletes have been banned from sporting events in the West for making overt pro-Kremlin displays such as wearing the Z-symbol.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
This content was published on
The Swiss population is expected to grow to 10.5 million by 2055, mainly due to migration, according to the latest forecast by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
WMO climate report: warmest year and record rainfall in Europe in 2024
This content was published on
Europe faced a stark east-west climate divide last year: compared to the long-term average, it was too wet in the west and too dry in the east, a new report shows.
Trump tariffs: 95% of Swiss SMEs don’t plan to move to US
This content was published on
According to a survey, 95% of small and medium-sized industrial companies (SMEs) in Switzerland are not planning to relocate to the United States in the near future.
Swiss franc weakens slightly amid tariff uncertainty
This content was published on
The Swiss franc fell slightly against the euro and US dollar on Monday. Meanwhile, stocks rallied in Europe, Asia and the US.
This content was published on
Shopping around the clock, even on Sundays and public holidays: retailer Migros is planning Switzerland's first Migros supermarket with continuous opening hours in Herisau.
More and more unexploded army ordnance found in Swiss hiking regions
This content was published on
More and more unexploded ordnance is being defused in Switzerland. Thanks to over a thousand tips from the public, the army neutralised 273 such munitions last year, 26% more than the long-term average.
World Expo: Swiss present robot-controlled wedding cake with edible battery
This content was published on
Confectioners and scientists from Switzerland and Italy and have created a robot-controlled, edible wedding cake, "RoboCake".
This content was published on
The traditional Olma pig race is not a sporting event and may therefore not be authorised by the city of St Gallen under the title of sports betting, says the intercantonal gambling watchdog.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Russia rejects protecting power mandate agreed by Switzerland and Ukraine
This content was published on
Russia has said Switzerland is no longer neutral and cannot represent Ukrainian interests in Russia and Moscow’s interests in Ukraine.
Boris Bondarev: the Kremlin sees Switzerland as under US orders
This content was published on
Boris Bondarev resigned from his post as a Russian diplomat in Geneva after the invasion of Ukraine. He speaks to SWI swissinfo.ch about his decision.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.