Cyprus-Forum.com

[Cap]

Swiss immigrants face instant expulsion if they commit ANY crime under proposed get-tough law

By Allan Hall
Last updated at 9:03 AM on 3rd November 2010

* Comments (30)
* Add to My Stories

Switzerland is poised to vote on a controversial law that will allow for all immigrants - EU citizens included - to be automatically expelled from the country if they commit a crime.

Even benefit fraudsters and burglars are targeted by the proposed law, a project of the Swiss People’s Party which has the backing of a majority of the population and will probably be passed in a referendum scheduled for November 28.

The controversial campaign for the initiative involves posters featuring a black sheep being kicked out of the country by several white sheep. The vote comes almost exactly a year after a previous plebiscite banning minarets on mosques in the country was passed.
Controversial: Walter Wobmann of the Swiss People's Party, pictured last year promoting another of his party's initiatives - a ban on minarets

Controversial: Walter Wobmann of the Swiss People's Party, pictured last year promoting another of his party's initiatives - a ban on minarets

A poll by the Bern Research Institute shows 58 per cent of the Swiss favour an amendment to the constitution which would allow the state to kick out immigrant lawbreakers after they have served their time in prison.

Only 36 per cent of those quizzed opposed the measure which would not only cover serious crimes such as murder and rape, but also robbery and burglary.

The law calls for benefit cheats to be deported immediately and the maximum amount of time they would be forced to keep out of Switzerland following expulsion will be extended from five to 20 years.

Tensions have been rising in Switzerland between natives and newcomers for several years. The SVP initiative began to gain traction two years ago when three foreign-born men from the Balkans, aged between 19 and 21, beat a young carnival reveller to death in Locarno.

The SVP garnered more than double 100,000 signatures required to gain a referendum.

Parliament, fearing repercussions from the EU and the wider world, has released an amended 'counter proposal' with a specific list of serious crimes that would qualify a foreigner for expulsion, such as murder, rape and armed robbery, and only then on an individual basis.

It states that deportations cannot violate national or international law.

But the SVP is against any 'dilution' of its original hard line law, saying: 'The counter proposal opens up the way for numerous appeals and complaints.

'For this reason the SVP stands fully behind the people’s initiative, because only it guarantees a consistent expulsion of criminal foreigners.'

This month both the initiative and the counter proposal will be on the ballot, along with an additional question asking voters which of the two they support the most, should both pass.

The SVP’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2007, the party received the largest proportion of the national vote of any political party since 1919, and currently occupies 62 of the National Council’s 200 seats

SVP members of parliament have been vocal in their support of the initiative. 'Switzerland can’t become a land of milk and honey for foreign criminals,' said MP Walter Wobmann.

Another, Andrea Geissbuhler said: 'Most of those foreign criminals are unteachable and laugh about our system. Once they leave prison, they straightaway commit the next crime.'

Polls indicate that the Swiss will reject the government‘s softer line and go for the SVP‘s 'undiluted' proposal, cocking-a-snook at Brussels.

Silvia Baer, deputy general secretary of the SVP, said: 'One must be realistic: with the minaret initiative everyone warned of international tensions, and what happened? Nothing.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... z14Es5ccsO

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... d-law.html