Racism Overshadows Swiss Elections

In the weeks leading up to the Swiss parliamentary elections on October 19th, charges of racism have been levied against the party currently leading in the polls, the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP). With a mix of anti-immigrant and anti-EU policies, the SVP narrowly won the last round of elections in 1999.

This time around, with a more aggressive overtly anti-immigrant campaign, they are hoping to widen their margin of victory. But a swiss anti-racism organization is trying to stop them in their tracks.

Anti-immigrant posters and comments spark controversy

The SVP recently provoked controversy, when it released a poster featuring a caricatured black face and a slogan reading, "the Swiss are increasingly becoming the negros." Following widespread criticism, the poster was withdrawn. The leader of the SVP, Christoph Blocher, a Swiss millionaire businessman, offered no apology.

Another poster released by the party was entitled "Our Dear Foreigners" and was accompanied by police mug shots of criminals, none of whom, the party claims, are Swiss.

Via these posters, party leaders hoped to send a powerful message. And recent comments by SVP members makes that message very clear. Will Eckler, an SVP member, told the BBC, "We need foreigners to work in Switzerland and they are well paid, but we don't need scroungers who cost money, and the criminals should be kicked out or interned."

Growing fears of immigrants in Switzerland

Foreigners currently comprise 20 percent of the Swiss population, and members of the SVP would like to see that percentage decrease -- and they're betting on the fact that a majority of the Swiss feel the same way.

Currently holding 25.3 percent of the vote, according to the Bern-based GfS Institute, SVP members are exploiting fears of this rising immigrant population, blatantly employing anti-foreigner propaganda to raise their lead in the poles and claim a more significant role in Swiss government.

If successful, more influence for the SVP in government could mean more anti-immigrant legislation, like the 2002 SVP-sponsored proposal to create tougher asylum laws aimed at discouraging economic migrants. The nationwide referendum was only narrowly defeated with just 50.1 percent of the Swiss voting against the plan. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, who was critical of the plan, said that had the proposal passed, Switzerland would have the toughest anti-immigration laws in all of Europe.

An anti-racism organization challenges stereotypes

In this cold climate where the nation's asylum seekers only enjoy a slim margin of support among the Swiss population, the Swiss Foundation Against Racism and Anti-Semitism has launched a nationwide campaign to challenge stereotypes. The images employed by the campaign are in-your-face depictions of common stereotypes held about foreigners, and they have proven controversial.

A Jewish face smiles out from the cinema screen, and a caption asks, "How do the Jews get their money?" After a few seconds, comes the reply, "By working, just like the rest of us." A poster depicts an ethic Albanian, and the caption reads, "Where do Kosovers get their car radios?" The answer: "In a shop, just like the rest of us."

Two other posters address the stereotypes of Thai women as prostitutes ("What do the Thai do after dark?") and the flower-selling Tamils ("Why do the Tamils go to restaurants").

But the campaign has rubbed some people the wrong way, even though they might agree with its general intent. "My first reaction was, oh my god, I can't believe they've done this," Steve Frost, a Swiss government worker told Deutsche Welle. "These pictures are just the worst form of stereotype, and the way these slogans are presented, people might not interpret them the right way."

Ronald Bernheim, the foundation's president, knows that his critics think the cartoonish, stereotypical images are unsettling. But they exist, according to Bernheim, and they need to be challenged.

"I'm not comfortable with it, and I hope no one else is," says Bernheim. "I want to question it and I want people to talk about it."

Call it a kind of aversion shock therapy. By confronting the Swiss with extreme depictions of their own stereotypes -- so extreme that many look away in discomfort -- the Swiss Foundation Against Racism and Anti-Semitism is hoping to prompt Swiss citizens to reconsider these stereotypes. Will this be enough to diminish support for the SVP? Stay tuned for the election results next weekend.