Sheepish Switzerland

I love Switzerland. So much that I visited it three times over the course of the semester. The country's natural beauty is unparalleled, its reputation for efficiency well-earned, and its wealth apparent (but tastefully so). Several times I thought to myself, "Why would anyone ever leave this place?" Eventually, however, a second thought occurred to me, "How would a person ever get in?" As I spent more time in the country, it became evident that while Switzerland is very accessible for tourists with full billfolds, Swiss society is a rather exclusive club, particularly when it comes to its immigrants.
The first inclination I had that not all was right in paradise was on the train ride from Basel to Lausanne, when a rail serviceman did not ask to see my ticket or the ticket of any of the White passengers around me, but spent several minutes integgorating every Black passenger on the train and requesting that they provide additional forms of identification. One of these passengers and her young daughter were subsequently escorted off the train by the Swiss authorities.
Then, during a hike through the Alps in the beautiful village of Vevey, I spotted a campaign poster fot the Swiss People's Party (SVP)that depicted white sheep kicking a black sheep out of the country. I know at this point, particularly as someone who has spent a decent amount of time reading about nationalist parties in Europe, such an ad should not come as a surprise. Yet something about seeing such blatant racism, particularly in such an idyllic setting, was incredibly shocking.
This controversial "black sheep" poster generated a lot of controversy in Switzerland and abroad when it was first used in 2007. However, it also contributed to the electoral success of the SVP, and, as a consequence, is still used today.
In November of this year, in a referendum which was driven by the SVP, the Swiss public approved a plan to automatically deport foreigners who commit crimes. This plan passed despite objections from the Swiss government, and despite the fact that it is in violation of the freedom of movement (which Switzerland guarantees via a bilateral treaty), not to mention a violation of human rights and due process. Similarly, last year the SVP successfully initiated a referendum which led to an official ban on minarets-despite the objection of the government. These nationalistic episodes make me aware of the pitfalls of direct democracy and the extent to which referendums can lead to the totalitarianism of the majority.
So as not to depict Switzerland too harshly, I will say that at the Christmas market in Lausanne I saw two political parties with counter-"black sheep" ads that advocated for tolerance and integration of immigrant communities. Yet, it is also evident that the issue of immigration in Switzerland and many other European countries is far from resolved.
Anyway, my optimistic holiday wish for Switzerland is that people realize that sheep of all colors are capable of coexistence.

Shannon