A United Nations report has accused Switzerland of “systemic” racism toward people of African descent.
The report, presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday, was the result of a January investigation by a U.N.-appointed mission to Switzerland, invited by the Swiss government. The report alleges widespread racism ingrained into Swiss society, from police brutality to children’s games to widespread “colonial” symbols, despite Switzerland’s lack of colonies, according to Reuters.
Particular focus was given to police brutality, including the deaths of several black men in recent years. Specifically, Roger “Nzoy” Wilhelm, who was shot by police after charging them with a knife on a train platform, and Brian Keller, who was held in solitary confinement after repeated, violent offenses, were pointed to as examples of “shocking” police brutality and racism.
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Another point of contention was a popular Swiss children’s game, “Who is afraid of the black man?” which the experts say results in more discrimination.
“Racial profiling and police controls of Black people humiliate, criminalize and stigmatize,” Dominique Day, head of the U.N. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, who led the mission to Switzerland in January, said in a statement then. “According to information received, police operations include brutal arrests, racial profiling, humiliating and degrading treatment, and reinforce negative racial stereotypes in the public realm. These are a violation of human rights.”
Day said nine different major programs and initiatives directed toward combating anti-black racism were “positive” developments but not effective enough.
The text of the report has not been released yet, but previous statements from the mission urge for a drastic restructuring of Swiss society to combat racism.
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The Swiss ambassador to the U.N. “broadly accepted” the experts’ findings but questioned the repeated use of anecdotal evidence to draw broader conclusions, according to the outlet.
About 1.1% of Switzerland’s population of 8.6 million are African or of African descent.
