Juso calls for Swiss youth strike as Young Liberals warn of violence

Switzerland’s Juso is calling for protests on November 20, while the Young Liberals warn the action could encourage violence. In an interview with SRF, Juso president Mirjam Hostetmann said the group was calling for peaceful protest; Young Liberals president Jonas Lüthy called the appeal irresponsible.

Hostetmann said the debate should focus not on burning cars but on climate damage and what she called “the violence of a system” that causes poverty and anxiety about the future. She said one in five children in Switzerland is affected by poverty.

Lüthy said protests across Europe in recent weeks showed a “spiral of violence” and argued that Juso was aligning itself with demonstrations that openly called for escalation. He urged the group to distance itself from them. Young people should advance their demands through democratic initiatives and parliament, he said.

Hostetmann said the right to demonstrate was central to democracy and gave young people a voice when they felt ignored by institutional politics. She pointed to rising rents and health insurance premiums, fears about the job market and the climate crisis, and said many young people faced growing uncertainty.

Lüthy countered that Switzerland was in a privileged position, with a strong education system, stable institutions and low youth unemployment compared with other countries. He called complaints about young people’s circumstances “grumbling at a high level.”

The two also clashed over Juso’s demand for “education instead of rearmament.” Hostetmann said more weapons would not bring peace and called for investment in education, climate protection and social security. Lüthy said Switzerland’s army was in poor condition and that the country had a duty to ensure its young people were properly equipped to defend themselves.

The interview was conducted by David Karasek.