https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Switzerland's finance minister and former president has filed a criminal complaint over a barrage of sexist abuse on Elon Musk's X platform, her office confirmed Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260401/swiss-minister-files-criminal-complaint-over-sexist-abuse-on-x Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:30:02 +0200 swiss-minister-files-criminal-complaint-over-sexist-abuse-on-x A Spanish resident travelling on a train in Switzerland was handed a flyer with the message, "Foreigner, shut up". He recounted his story to Swiss media. https://www.thelocal.ch/20260319/foreign-resident-shocked-after-being-given-xenophobic-flyer-on-swiss-train Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:39:31 +0100 foreign-resident-shocked-after-being-given-xenophobic-flyer-on-swiss-train The 2019 women’s strike in Switzerland was hailed by organisers as the largest political action since the 1918 General Strike. As women in the country prepare to march again, Clare O’Dea asks what has been achieved since then? https://www.thelocal.ch/20230612/opinion-has-anything-improved-for-women-in-switzerland-in-recent-years Mon, 12 Jun 2023 17:04:58 +0200 opinion-has-anything-improved-for-women-in-switzerland-in-recent-years We asked our readers in Switzerland if they had experienced any form of racism or xenophobia living in the country. Here's what you had to say. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240209/i-took-my-photo-off-my-cv-foreigners-in-switzerland-recount-experiences-of-racism Fri, 09 Feb 2024 15:52:37 +0100 i-took-my-photo-off-my-cv-foreigners-in-switzerland-recount-experiences-of-racism A recent advert seeking tenants for a vacant apartment in canton Lucerne mentioned that "only Swiss" applicants will be considered. But is this legal? https://www.thelocal.ch/20250306/how-foreign-tenants-in-switzerland-face-discrimination-when-flat-hunting Thu, 06 Mar 2025 13:47:10 +0100 how-foreign-tenants-in-switzerland-face-discrimination-when-flat-hunting Negative attitudes towards foreigners have risen in Switzerland, with new proposals to limit, or even severely restrict, the number of new arrivals. Many foreign residents in Switzerland tell us they are extremely concerned. https://www.thelocal.ch/20241015/we-pay-our-taxes-foreigners-in-switzerland-troubled-by-rise-in-hostility Tue, 15 Oct 2024 15:36:05 +0200 we-pay-our-taxes-foreigners-in-switzerland-troubled-by-rise-in-hostility Switzerland is looking to ban the swastika, Hitler salute and other Nazi signs due to a rise in anti-Semitism, the federal government announced on Friday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20241213/switzerland-eyes-nazi-symbols-ban-after-surge-in-anti-semitism Fri, 13 Dec 2024 17:56:40 +0100 switzerland-eyes-nazi-symbols-ban-after-surge-in-anti-semitism Under Swiss law, discrimination on the grounds of nationality or ethnicity is strictly forbidden, but the story of one work permit holder shows such situations do arise nevertheless. https://www.thelocal.ch/20241107/can-companies-in-switzerland-refuse-a-service-to-foreign-nationals Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:05:01 +0100 can-companies-in-switzerland-refuse-a-service-to-foreign-nationals You may think that if your surname is not Müller or Meier (the most common names in Switzerland), you may be faced with discrimination in some form. Is that really so? Share your own experiences in the comments section below. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240923/does-having-a-foreign-name-in-switzerland-affect-your-life Mon, 23 Sep 2024 17:36:07 +0200 does-having-a-foreign-name-in-switzerland-affect-your-life A recent survey revealed that many people with a migrant background in Switzerland have experienced racism and discrimination in recent years. Have you? https://www.thelocal.ch/20240205/tell-us-have-you-experienced-racism-or-xenophobia-living-in-switzerland Mon, 05 Feb 2024 10:07:16 +0100 tell-us-have-you-experienced-racism-or-xenophobia-living-in-switzerland As a foreigner living in Switzerland are you likely to experience some form of racism or xenophobia? New stats suggest many will. Tell us if you have in the survey at the bottom of the page. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240202/are-foreigners-in-switzerland-likely-to-experience-some-form-of-racism Fri, 02 Feb 2024 16:06:27 +0100 are-foreigners-in-switzerland-likely-to-experience-some-form-of-racism The third national 'feminist' strike takes place in Switzerland on Wednesday June 14th, but what's it all about? https://www.thelocal.ch/20230609/why-are-women-going-on-strike-in-switzerland-on-june-14th Fri, 09 Jun 2023 14:03:54 +0200 why-are-women-going-on-strike-in-switzerland-on-june-14th Switzerland’s UBS Bank recently asked its employees online to divulge their ethnicity. But is such a question legal? https://www.thelocal.ch/20210903/can-an-employer-in-switzerland-ask-about-an-employees-ethnic-background Fri, 03 Sep 2021 11:36:32 +0200 can-an-employer-in-switzerland-ask-about-an-employees-ethnic-background Swiss recruiters discriminate against foreign nationals on employment websites, a new large-scale study shows. https://www.thelocal.ch/20210121/jobs-in-switzerland-foreigners-are-less-likely-to-be-hired-than-swiss-nationals Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:17:50 +0100 jobs-in-switzerland-foreigners-are-less-likely-to-be-hired-than-swiss-nationals The Local contributor Alyssa James shares the experiences of people of colour in Switzerland and investigates how racism and xenophobia intersect in Swiss society. https://www.thelocal.ch/20191029/racism-in-switzerland-people-of-colour-are-automatically-perceived-as-foreigners Tue, 29 Oct 2019 13:26:28 +0100 racism-in-switzerland-people-of-colour-are-automatically-perceived-as-foreigners A Brazilian woman has lodged a formal complaint with police after alleging she was racially abused in a supermarket in Zurich. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180822/racism-brazilian-living-in-zurich-told-to-go-back-to-africa Wed, 22 Aug 2018 11:38:10 +0200 racism-brazilian-living-in-zurich-told-to-go-back-to-africa A record number of people in Switzerland have reported experiencing discrimination because they are HIV positive, according to new figures. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171129/report-hiv-positive-people-suffer-discrimination-in-switzerland Wed, 29 Nov 2017 13:08:29 +0100 report-hiv-positive-people-suffer-discrimination-in-switzerland A UN panel on Thursday quizzed a Swiss government delegation about the country’s efforts to improve human rights in the past four years, urging it to work further on combating violence against women, racism, xenophobia and the discrimination of migrants. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171110/un-urges-switzerland-to-fight-harder-against-discrimination-and-racism Fri, 10 Nov 2017 10:21:49 +0100 un-urges-switzerland-to-fight-harder-against-discrimination-and-racism More than a third of the Swiss population “might feel uncomfortable in the presence of people perceived to be different”, according to a survey by the Swiss statistics office (BFS). https://www.thelocal.ch/20171011/survey-shows-extent-of-racism-and-discrimination-in-switzerland Wed, 11 Oct 2017 12:03:39 +0200 survey-shows-extent-of-racism-and-discrimination-in-switzerland Hostility and discrimination towards Muslim people in Switzerland is on the rise, the Federal Commission against Racism (FCR) said on Monday during a conference at the University of Fribourg. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170912/hostility-towards-muslims-on-the-rise-in-switzerland Tue, 12 Sep 2017 12:04:22 +0200 hostility-towards-muslims-on-the-rise-in-switzerland