The Crackdown

Switzerland is planning to ban public displays of Nazi symbols, the government announced over the weekend, amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents following the start of the October 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Bloomberg reported.

The Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body, said the new measure will ban the display of Nazi imagery in public, including the swastika and Hitler salute. The measure will also target less overt symbols associated with Nazi ideology, such as the numbers “18” and “88” – these signify Adolf Hitler’s initials and “Heil Hitler” respectively.

Violators will be fined around $224.

There are exceptions to the measure for use in educational, artistic, scientific, and journalistic purposes within freedom of expression limits.

Parliament is expected to vote on the bill in March 2025.

The move comes in response to a surge in antisemitic incidents across the country since the war in the Gaza Strip began more than a year ago. Last year, Intercommunity Coordination Against Antisemitism and Defamation recorded 944 incidents in French-speaking Switzerland, the Guardian added.

In German- and Italian-speaking regions, antisemitic cases increased from 910 in 2022 to 1,130 last year, the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities and the Foundation Against Racism and Antisemitism noted.

Switzerland’s current laws only penalize the active promotion of Nazi ideology, leaving loopholes for public displays.

The proposed changes align the country more closely with other European nations, many of which have had stricter laws against Nazi symbols for decades.