A Spanish resident travelling on a train in Switzerland was handed a flyer with the message, “Foreigner, shut up”. He recounted his story to Swiss media.
The man in question, a Spanish national who works for a large commodities trading company in canton of Zug, was speaking on the phone (in Spanish) on an S24 train to Baar (Zug) when an unknown person approached him and placed a flyer next to him.
The leaflet, featuring the logo of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), had this message printed across it: “Foreigner, shut up”.
“I was shocked but also confused because it looked like a genuine SBB flyer,” the man, who reported this incident to the company, said.
‘Such ideas have no place on trains’
Not surprisingly, the SBB has immediately distanced itself from this flyer, condemning “all forms of racism and discrimination in the strongest possible terms.”
“Such ideas have no place on SBB trains,” company spokesperson Moritz Weisskopf said. “The SBB stands for an open and inclusive Switzerland where all passengers – regardless of their origin – should feel safe and welcome.”
He also pointed out that distributing flyers, advertising material, or other printed materials on trains and throughout the station area without written authorisation from the SBB is prohibited.
“This applies to commercial advertising as well as political or ideological messages,” Weisskopf said.
Although the SBB continuously optimises the presence of security personnel and customer service staff, “complete monitoring of every carriage at all times is not technically or logistically feasible, Weisskopf added.
“SBB therefore appeals to the personal responsibility and civic courage of passengers: If such incidents are observed, the customer service staff should be informed immediately or the transport police contacted. Only with the cooperation of passengers can we ensure that public transport remains a space of mutual respect.”
In the particular case of the Spanish man, the SBB is considering legal action, which could be difficult given that the perpetrator’s identity is not known.
READ MORE: How safe are passengers travelling on Swiss trains?
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A rare occurrence
Such incidents (at least the ones that are reported) are relatively rare on Swiss trains, but this is not the first time foreigners have been targeted by racist flyers.
In 2024, leaflets had been sent to the homes of a number of international residents in Switzerland (and even Swiss citizens with foreign names) telling them they should leave and that they have “turned the country into a shithole”
“Foreigners, you are illegal…in 2014, the Swiss voted in a referendum to stop mass immigration from the EU, but are being unconstitutionally ignored by the government because of pressure from employers and economy lobbyists!,” the text said.
It also includes spiteful comments about the impact foreign nationals have had on the country: “You’ve turned our beautiful country into a foreigner-infested, over-populated, over-priced and culturally-estranged shit hole.”
«Habt unser Land in ein Drecksloch verwandelt»: Expats werden in Flyer aufgefordert, sich aus der Schweiz zu «verpissen». https://t.co/Zs1ImIcjx6
— 20 Minuten (@20min) September 12, 2024
The leaflet also warns that if foreigners don’t leave Switzerland, riots will break out in 2025 – an empty threat, as it turned out.
READ MORE: Foreign residents targeted by xenophobic leaflet
