Anti-immigrant slogans spotted on trucks in Switzerland; new housing development offers special rent discount for families; plus other news in our roundup this Monday.
Anti-immigrant slogans spotted on trucks in Switzerland
A company in St. Gallen is displaying this message on its vehicles: “Dear migrant. Not in Switzerland, go to Russia, Vladivostok, -40C.”
Though some locals who saw these trucks drive by said they were shocked by the slogan, the message itself does not constitute an offence or violation of Switzerland’s anti-racism law.
According to Philip Bessermann, director of the Foundation Against Racism and Anti-Semitism, the Penal Code punishes incitement to hatred and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.
The term ‘migrant,’ however, does not fall under this category.
“The slogan may be xenophobic, but it is not illegal, ” he said.
New housing development in Lucerne offers special rent discount for families
Rents for big apartments are notoriously high in cities, but a new WBG housing cooperative in Lucerne is making them more affordable for families with children, thanks to a unique rental system that grants discounts per household member.
Concretely, anyone living alone in a large apartment pays the full rent. However, if a family moves in, the price drops.
The rent for a 4.5-room apartment, for instance, is 3,140 francs per month for a single person.
A couple pays 2,940 francs, a family of four 2,540 francs, and a family of five 2,340 francs.
The cooperative’s management hopes this model will become an example for other housing developments in Switzerland.
Excellent news: Switzerland is no longer Europe’s most expensive country
This title now belongs to Iceland, according to a new Eurostat price index, based on average prices of more than 2,000 products and services – including healthcare and education.
The defined basket of goods was then indexed to the EU average price of €100.
Iceland achieved a value of 183.7 and Switzerland, 181; looking at these figures from another angle, Iceland is 83.7 percent more expensive than the EU average, and Switzerland 81 percent. (Paradoxically, neither Switzerland nor Iceland are part of the European Union).
However, these numbers should be put into relevant contexts, Euronews reported.
“The figures should always be read together with earnings, What matters for living standards is not whether prices are high but what a local wage buys locally — purchasing power, not the price tag alone. Switzerland looks expensive, but Swiss wages are high enough that purchasing power there is among Europe’s strongest; the same price level on a much lower wage would feel very different.”
Deutsche Bahn compares itself to SBB – and is ridiculed for it
Last year, 94.1 percent of SBB passenger trains reached their destination on time. Deutsche Bahn (DB), on the other hand, reports a punctuality rate of 88 percent.
However, this didn’t stop DB from comparing itself to the Swiss trains in a social media video, which aimed to challenge the SBB’s supremacy in this regard.
“In Switzerland, people roll their eyes in annoyance after a four-minute delay – because they’re not used to it,” the video’s narrator said, adding that punctuality rates in these two systems are not comparable; the Swiss rail network comprises around 3,300 km, while that of Deutsche Bahn covers more than 33,000 km.
Comments in the social media post, however, dispelled that argument, pointing out that the difference lies not in the number of kilometres but in “differing levels of investment in rail infrastructure. Switzerland invests 13 times more per capita in rail than Germany.”
READ MORE: Switzerland’s SBB to replace unreliable German trains on key rail route
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
