During the 2007 Swiss federal election, the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party gained 29% of the seats in parliament, the highest any party of this type has achieved since World War I.[5] The party was accused of increasing racism and xenophobic sentiment by publishing a controversial poster during its campaign, showing a white sheep kicking a black sheep off the Swiss flag. The poster was condemned by the United Nations.[6] During the campaign the party also proposed a change to the penal code to allow judges to deport foreigners guilty of serious crimes once they have served their sentence. If the criminal is under the age of 18, the proposed law allows the entire criminal's family to be deported as soon as sentence is passed.[7] If the bill passes into law, then it will be the first such law in Europe since the Sippenhaft law by the Nazis.[8]The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) had already reported in 2003 on certain xenophobic incidents in Switzerland, ranging from police discrimination and misbehaviour towards members of certain minority groups, to an intolerant climate within society toward certain groups, particularly Africans and asylum seekers.[9]
Excuse me, can you point me towards the nuthouse? I'm an asylum seeker.
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