Rightwing claims success with “black sheep”
The rightwing Swiss People’s Party says it has collected over 170,000 signatures in three months for its initiative to expel foreign criminals.
The proposal has caused controversy at home and abroad in particular for its accompanying “black sheep” poster campaign, which has been accused of racism, depicting three white sheep kicking a black sheep out of the country.
The initiative calls for any foreigner condemned of murder, rape, robbery, drug trafficking, burglary, human trafficking or social security abuse to have their residence permit taken away. Once thrown out of the country, they cannot return for up to 15 years, or even 20 if they re-offend.
Under the Swiss constitution, the campaigners have 18 months – until January 2009 – to collect at least 100,000 signatures from citizens to force a nationwide vote.At a news conference in the capital, Bern, on Monday the People’s Party thanked other Swiss political parties for their criticism of the initiative, which they said had increased public attention.
The poster will go down in People’s Party history as one of the most effective ever used, said People’s Party parliamentarian Toni Brunner.
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