Swiss satire targets business interests behind neutrality campaign

Swiss broadcaster SRF has published a satirical commentary questioning the business interests behind Switzerland’s so-called neutrality initiative. Cabaret artist Bänz Friedli contrasts its “No war” slogan and peace dove imagery with the campaign’s political and economic implications.

Friedli writes that the committee behind the initiative is expected to spend 5.5 million Swiss francs on the campaign, with about half reportedly coming from Christoph Blocher. He says the initiative was launched shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine and Switzerland agreed to join sanctions against Russia.

According to Friedli, sanctions against individual states conflict with the interests of the Blocher family. He points to Ems-Chemie, run by Blocher’s daughter Magdalena Martullo-Blocher, which operates a plant in Yelabuga, Russia. “Sanctions are poison for business,” he writes.

Friedli also refers to Russian raw materials trading that continued through Baar in the canton of Zug. He says an estimated 40 billion dollars have flowed through Zug into Russia’s war treasury since the beginning of the war.

The commentary further alleges that Russia has interfered heavily in Switzerland’s referendum campaign. On the state propaganda channel RT, formerly known as Russia Today, commentators are said to use Swiss-sounding names, raising questions about whether hostile online comments are written by local users or by Russian troll bots.

Friedli notes that neutrality is already enshrined in Switzerland’s constitution. Article 2, he writes, calls on the country to work for a peaceful and just international order. He concludes that the campaign’s peace dove imagery is stained by the pursuit of commercial interests.