In its new anti-immigration offensive, the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is targeting marriages between cousins which, the party says, are common among foreigners.
Over the years, the SVP has instigated a number of anti-foreigner proposals, including the move (unsuccessful so far) to make immigrants pay a hefty tax for the privilege of living in Switzerland, as well its latest effort to curb the number of EU nationals coming to work in Switzerland, which will be voted on in a referendum on June 14th.
READ MORE: What exactly does the Swiss ‘no to 10 million’ anti-immigration proposal aim to do?
Now the party has come up with yet another controversial idea: to have the government investigate marriages contracted between cousins.
This practice is not illegal in Switzerland, but the SVP is attacking it in the context of migration.
Pointing accusing fingers at immigrants
In a letter addressed to Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, the party’s leadership asserts that unions between first cousins increase the risk of genetic diseases in their children.
There is, in fact, scientific evidence showing that kids born to close relatives are more likely to be affected by autism spectrum disorders – regardless of parents’ nationality.
But that is not how the SVP sees it: in their letter, the party emphasised that this kind of marriages “are contracted significantly more often by foreign nationals”.
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‘Pure populism’
Other politicians are not enthused about SVP’s stance.
MP Franziska Roth, for instance, said that she fears the stigmatisation of certain migrant groups over this issue.
The SVP’s arguments are “Trumpian” in their nature, she said, adding that “it is pure populism to associate genetics with nationalities or religions”.
And though “there’s nothing wrong with the party wanting to inform the public that such marriages are associated with increased genetic risks, the SVP is exploiting foreign children with autism to attack immigrants”.
