Posters showing a black sheep being kicked off the Swiss flag by a white sheep have cropped up in stations and squares in Switzerland, as part of a campaign for the Swiss People’s Party’s demand to automatically deport foreigners convicted of serious crimes. The demand is to go before a Sunday referendum.
In 2007, the same posters were widely condemned, with Doudou Diene, the UN’s racism expert at the time, saying the images draw on stereotypes to paint foreigners as felons and benefit cheats. This year, a study by a polling group shows that 54 per cent of voters approved the measure.
Critics of the deportation proposal include legal experts, who say the law could clash with international treaties. “For the same crime some people will suffer one punishment, others will suffer two,” said Marcelo Kohen, a professor of international law at the Graduate Institute in Geneva.
Indian Express