ENAR on the Swiss deportation referendum

The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) is seriously concerned by the recent referendum in Switzerland in favour of the automatic deportation of foreigners convicted of certain criminal offences, including minor offences. This vote is the result of a xenophobic and discriminatory campaign launched by the populist Swiss People's Party, making dangerous amalgams between immigration and criminality. This rhetoric and the expulsions risk reinforcing prejudice and discriminatory perceptions against immigrants, and more generally against Swiss ethnic minority citizens perceived as foreigners.

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