BullSwiss.

I recently came across an article on the BBC about prisons in Switzerland and the high proportion of non-Swiss citizens in them. Be sure to read the article link below for some context. Here are my thoughts...

Assuming that because "more than 60% of prison inmates do not have Swiss nationality", that non-Swiss citizens are more inclined towards criminality, is a perspective I think to be way off base! Surely, it is a better indicator of discrimination in the justice system that has led to the over-representation of coloured persons, and in this case, non-citizens in prisons.

What is even more absurd about the referendum (that asked Swiss citizens whether non-Swiss individuals who committed crimes should be deported to their country of origin) is that children of immigrants do not automatically qualify to become citizens! This means that individuals who were born and raised in Switzerland and who have only ever known and called Switzerland home, could and will be deported to countries that they have absolutely no connection with- the birthplaces of their parents!


Citizenship laws based on blood (known as jus sanguinis) are abhorrently racist and they encourage second-class citizenship. There are simply no two ways about it. If you are claiming to have a just, fair and equal society, you cannot disadvantage people in this fundamental way. These kinds of situations are at the heart of 'integration' issues, facing European societies. It is important to note that Switzerland is not the only European country that follows this ancient citizenship policy. Some Middle Eastern countries do the same, and are just as culpable in perpetuating inequality and racism.

You've got to be pretty ignorant to believe that criminality is somehow linked with being a 'foreigner'. This seems to be the perspective of the referendum. I suppose we should take comfort in the fact that only 53% of voters have bought into the hysteria. I mean, I'm not necessarily opposed to deportation for criminals to their country of birth--Canada has the same law. But consider me highly skeptical of the Swiss People's Party (SVP), who recently banned the construction of minarets in Swiss mosques (fearing a takeover by Swiss Muslims!)!! Perhaps they should work with the party in power to focus on reducing racism and discrimination in their society and addressing underlying issues relating to crime and deviance, as this would be a much better usage of their time in parliament.

Side note -- We have a similar situation in Canada, where our Native peoples are vastly overrepresented in the prison system. According to  the Office of the Correctional Investigator Canada, in their 2006 Annual Report, it was found that "while Aboriginal peoples comprise 2.7 percent of the adult Canadian population, approximately 18.5 percent of offenders now serving federal sentences are of First Nations, Métis and Inuit ancestry." The cause of such high representation, the report found, to be a result of "systemic discrimination and attitudes based on racial or cultural prejudice, as well as economic and social deprivation, substance abuse and a cycle of violence across generations."

Enough said.