The lower house of the Swiss parliament supported the initiative to ban Nazi, as well as other extremist and racist symbols. Earlier, the Swiss Senate voted in support of the initiative. The government has been instructed to develop a corresponding law, which will be submitted to deputies for approval.
“In today’s Switzerland, it is allowed to fly a flag with a swastika, display a pennant with the SS emblem on the windshield, and even display a Nazi salute in public space,” Greens spokesman Raphael Mahaim said on the eve of the vote.
The ban was supported by most political movements; the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party opposed it. 133 deputies voted in support of the initiative, 38 voted against it, and another 17 abstained.
The discussion about banning radical symbols has been going on in the country for many years. Efforts to change the legislation received new impetus after the Hamas attack on Israel and the start of anti-Israeli demonstrations.