Swiss Expulsion Proposal Draws Criticism

[Azure]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070901/D8RCI31O0.html

GENEVA (AP) - The campaign poster was blatant in its xenophobic symbolism: Three white sheep kicking out a black sheep over a caption that read "for more security." The message was not from a fringe force in Switzerland's political scene but from its largest party.

The nationalist Swiss People's Party is proposing a deportation policy that anti-racism campaigners say evokes Nazi-era practices. Under the plan, entire families would be expelled if their children are convicted of a violent crime, drug offenses or benefits fraud.

WDF?

[Vulcan]

I was told one of the reasons for Switzerland not joining the European Union was to keep control of their immigration policy. So, it's not surprising.

[Tyler]

That and its strict stance on neutrality

[BlackArcher101]

While I'm not supportive of the plan, I don't see how this is racist. The plan calls for entire families being expelled if their children are convicted of a violent crime, drug offenses or benefits fraud. No where does it say people will be expelled for their ethnicity. They probably used black and white in the poster only to show a contrast between the good and bad.

[Regorium]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

While I'm not supportive of the plan, I don't see how this is racist. The plan calls for entire families being expelled if their children are convicted of a violent crime, drug offenses or benefits fraud. No where does it say people will be expelled for their ethnicity. They probably used black and white in the poster only to show a contrast between the good and bad.

I thought it was supposed to be the "black sheep" in the herd that they're kicking out of all the "good white sheep".

[jolinar of malkshor]

As long as the policy is not based on race or religion I think that every country should do its best to keep people out that are criminals, fraudsters and bums. That is why most of these EU countries are having a hard time with undesirable immigrants. Once they get into one country they are basically free to go to any country in the EU. Either the EU needs to get its immigration policy stronger or each country should still be incharge of their own agendas.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

As long as the policy is not based on race or religion I think that every country should do its best to keep people out that are criminals, fraudsters and bums. That is why most of these EU countries are having a hard time with undesirable immigrants. Once they get into one country they are basically free to go to any country in the EU. Either the EU needs to get its immigration policy stronger or each country should still be incharge of their own agendas.

Where do you suggest they put these people once they've been deported from Switzerland?

I'm sure every other country will be begging to receive these people.

[Ayrahb]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

While I'm not supportive of the plan, I don't see how this is racist. The plan calls for entire families being expelled if their children are convicted of a violent crime, drug offenses or benefits fraud. No where does it say people will be expelled for their ethnicity. They probably used black and white in the poster only to show a contrast between the good and bad.

Umm... I think the black sheep is used mostly in its traditional sense there ("black sheep of our family"). Without reading the article or reading this discussion, I would probably have interpreted the poster as "if the majority doesn't see you as good enough, you are out". Of course, the apparent track record of that party is that you are a black sheep to them for a lot less than being a criminal.

The reality is that blaming and punishing the family is a characteristic of some of the worst regimes we had on this Earth in recent history. No, it doesn't spell out anywhere that people will be expelled based on their ethnicity, but do you really think Catholic/Protestant white majority families will be expelled or even punished for the crimes of the children.

EDIT: I wonder if we could expel people from other provinces when they commit crimes in Alberta. Now, that would definitely not be racist.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Locke

Where do you suggest they put these people once they've been deported from Switzerland?

I'm sure every other country will be begging to receive these people.

I haven't read the article but on a general note, if an immigrant commits a criminal offence (serious offence) or is a constant drain on the social system (fraud) then they should be return back to their country of orgin.

[jonesy]

Originally Posted by Ayrahb

Umm... ... but do you really think Catholic/Protestant white majority families will be expelled or even punished for the crimes of the children.

Are you pre-emptively calling them racist without trying to appear racist yourself?

[Azure]

I don't think it is racist...just wrong overall.

I'm sure many of us have brothers, sisters, cousins....or even some distant relative that has done jail time. Is it our fault?

Although, you must admit this law does have a point. Usually sex offenders dealt with serious issues while they were younger. But I doubt such a law would change that.

[Ayrahb]

Originally Posted by jonesy

Are you pre-emptively calling them racist without trying to appear racist yourself?

First of all, I don't care how I appear. I do my best to be fair and that's all I can promise.

If I had to slap a label on that party it would be xenophobes, jerks, short-sighted, unfair, dangerous, asking for trouble--you get the picture. The label racist gets too many people on this board going into their nitpick mode and that is why this might be my first post to contain that word.

The comment you quoted had to do with the fact that I highly doubt that people proposing punishing whole families for the crimes of their individual members would do the same to "the native" Swiss families. After all, where do you send people who lived in Geneva, Bern, Zurich for generations?

If I had just said Catholics or Protestants I would have been wrong: this party would probably expel immigrants from those faiths. Same goes if I had just said white: Albanians and most Russians are white--they'd get kicked out, too. Germans, Austrians, French, Dutch, and Swiss families would likely be relatively safe from such expulsions.

And, for the record, I am as white as you can imagine, green eyes and everything.

[longsuffering]

And if a Swiss family's child is "convicted of a violent crime, drug offenses or benefits fraud", what is their punishment?

I have no problem with deporting immigrants convicted of serious crimes, but this proposal is clearly a double standard!

In a 'just' society, the laws are applied equally.

[HOZ]

The question I have is where exactly these people who HAVE been expulsed go? Need a destination and I don't see many countries willing to accept those types of people.