Swiss pacifists fight back against army rearmament plans

Instead of "haphazardly pumping billions into armaments", the GSOA is calling for a security policy that is orientated towards "realistic threat scenarios such as disaster prevention or the climate crisis". © KEYSTONE / ANTHONY ANEX

At its plenary meeting in Solothurn, the Group for a Switzerland without an Army (GSoA) passed a resolution "against the billion-euro plans of the arms industry".

Instead, it called for “a sober threat analysis”. The participants also decided to support the initiative to ban nuclear weapons.

+Is Switzerland moving towards a European security alliance?

GSoA Secretary Jonas Heeb wrote in a press release that the Swiss army’s armament plans are not based on a realistic threat, but on empty security promises. Instead of “haphazardly pumping billions into armaments”, the GSoA is calling for a security policy that is orientated towards “realistic threat scenarios such as disaster prevention or the climate crisis”.

The 50 participants at the meeting had already decided to support the text of the initiative to ban nuclear weapons. This is due to be launched in the summer. It calls on the government to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

+ Switzerland refuses to ratify anti-nuclear weapons treaty

Nuclear weapon ban

The popular initiative was launched by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Switzerland is a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which was signed in 1970. It includes a ban on the proliferation of nuclear weapons, a commitment to disarmament and the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Last year, the TPNW came into force alongside the NPT. It contains a comprehensive and explicit ban on nuclear weapons, i.e. prohibits the use, threat of use, production, stockpiling, acquisition, possession, deployment, transfer, and testing of nuclear weapons or support for these prohibited activities.

Switzerland is not a member of this treaty. At the end of March, the Federal Council decided not to sign the treaty. It considers the treaty to have little impact because it is not recognised by the owners of nuclear weapons, nor by almost any Western or European countries.

Ukraine and Middle East

The GSoA adopted two further resolutions at its plenary session: on the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and on the war between Hamas and the Israeli army in Gaza.

According to the GSoA, Switzerland’s role in the Russia-Ukraine war does not lie in the issue of weapons, but in sanctions against the Russian power apparatus and financial support for Ukraine, partly due to the law of neutrality. That means, war profits and oligarchs’ money should be consistently siphoned off, frozen, and confiscated. In particular, they should be channelled into the reconstruction of Ukraine.

In the Middle East, the GSoA is calling for an immediate end to violence, the release of all hostages and imprisoned Palestinians and an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel. In addition, Switzerland must continue to make full payments to the Palestinian relief organisation UNRWA and stop all arms deals in the Middle East.

Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/mga

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