Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

Today’s briefing is about two shooting exercises. One has caused quite a stir in Switzerland because a portrait of Jesus and Mary was used as a target (apparently by mistake). Our picture of the day, on the other hand, shows Knabenschiessen (boys shooting), a Zurich custom with roots in the 17th century.
 
Criminals who use other people’s names and pictures on the internet to obtain money or expensive clothes don’t use weapons at all. Over 1,000 such identity thefts were reported in Switzerland last year.

Object of desire: Cédric Wermuth Keystone / Anthony Anex

Why did a woman want to transfer CHF100,000 ($118,000) to the co-president of the Social Democratic Party? And why did he never receive it?

It has been possible to report identity theft in Switzerland for a year now, and over 1,000 victims have done so. Even the law enforcement authorities were surprised by this considerable number, the Tages-Anzeiger reports today.

The fraudsters have various scams to obtain money using other people’s identities. One of these is the “romance scam” that affected Cédric Wermuth (pictured), co-president of the Social Democrats. Unknown individuals created profiles on Facebook using Wermuth’s name and picture and persuaded women to fall in love with him. The case came to light when a woman wanted to transfer CHF100,000 to the fake Wermuth and the bank became suspicious.

In other cases, criminals use the names and addresses of unsuspecting people to order expensive clothes or smartphones online. They intercept the parcel and the victim receives the bills and payment reminders. Wermuth believes identity fraud must be combated internationally and that tech companies must also be held accountable.

The article in the Tages-AnzeigerExternal link. (Paywall)

Sanija Ameti. Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

Shooting practice with Jesus and Mary as a target: Sanija Ameti, a politician from the Liberal Green Party, has caused outrage.

This story is everywhere in Switzerland at the moment: Zurich politician Sanija Ameti (pictured) posted photos on her Instagram profile showing how she shot at a picture of Jesus and Mary during a shooting exercise. Both ended up with several bullet holes in their faces.

Ameti is well-known in Switzerland and since 2021 has been co-president of Operation Libero, a political movement that advocates a pro-European and liberal approach in the media. The images of a bullet-ridden Jesus have triggered a great deal of incomprehension and even horror in Switzerland, with devout Christians in particular feeling attacked.

When asked about this, Ameti said that she had happened to have an art catalogue with her and had not paid attention to the religious content of the picture. She deleted the post and apologised on Instagram. The reactions have been fierce – even within her party. As the French-language edition of news portal Watson notes, Liberal Green Party President Jürg Grossen says expelling Ameti from the party is an option.

UPDATE: On Monday evening Ameti resigned.

The Watson articleExternal link (in French).

Part of the Domaine des Charmerettes in Marseille. Courtesy image

Transformation into an ecological village: the last hope for the Swiss enclave Domaine des Charmerettes in Marseille.

Marseille is a city that has long attracted Swiss emigrants. From the 16th century onwards, hundreds of them moved to the harbour city on the Mediterranean; today, around 5,000 registered Swiss live in Marseille.

The latest chapter in the story of the Swiss in Marseille is a troubled one. It centres on a property owned by the Helvetia Massilia Foundation, the Bastide Les Charmerettes and its outbuildings. Built at the end of the 18th century, the property is hardly used today and is increasingly falling into disrepair. A renovation project with the Label Vie organisation aims to transform the property into an ecological village with childcare and educational facilities.

However, the renovation costs, which are estimated at around €3 million (CHF2.8 million), are a hurdle. In the past, other plans by the foundation had caused a bad atmosphere with the Société de Bienfaisance de Marseille, which filed a lawsuit against the foundation’s plans to sell the property. In the meantime, however, the atmosphere has largely calmed down and people are talking to each other again. For the president of the foundation, Valéry Engelhard, the current plans are the last chance to preserve Les Charmerettes for the Swiss in Marseille.

The article by my colleague Emilie Ridard on the Swiss enclave in Marseille.

A train heads from Bellinzona to Lugano. Keystone / Gaetan Bally

The Swiss Federal Railways publishes figures for the first half of 2024: record passenger numbers and trains in Ticino have become more punctual.

For over a year, the journey from German-speaking Switzerland to Italian-speaking Ticino was more arduous than usual. The reason for this is a goods train that derailed in the Gotthard Base Tunnel in August 2023 and severely damaged the tracks. Trains have only been running again as before the accident for a week.

The Swiss Federal Railways published its figures for the first half of 2024 today. Some 1,340,000 passengers travelled on Federal Railways trains every day – a record and an increase of 0.7% compared to the previous year.

And punctuality is record-breaking, as Swiss public broadcaster, RSI, reports, with 93.8% of trains arriving on time. Punctuality has risen significantly in Ticino and western Switzerland. 

However, this relates to passenger trains. Goods trains were less punctual last year than in the past, down five percentage points, which is partly due to the difficult situation on the Gotthard route.

The report on the Swiss Federal Railways figuresExternal link from RSI (in Italian).

Taking aim. Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Switzerland in the picture

It may be called the Knabenschiessen (boys shooting), but girls are also allowed to take part in the Zurich folk festival. Every year in September, young people aged 13 to 17 take part in shooting competitions until a king or queen is found. The Knabenschiessen has been held like this since 1899 and gives Zurich one of its few public holidays.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts