For the initiative to reach the people, 6,000 valid signatures are needed. The canton now checks the submitted signatures and then decides whether the initiative has come about.
With her initiative, the Young SVP not only targets May 1 chaos and squatters, but also explicitly against climate activists who have been repeatedly trapped in the streets of Zurich for several months.
Also critical mass and right-wing extremist target group
With these dangerous actions, blue light organizations, drivers and public transport travelers would be forced, the young party writes in a statement on Monday. The Junge SVP also lists the monthly Velodemo Critical Mass and right-wing extremists as a “target group”.
Until now, the police force in the canton has been able to decide at its own discretion which extraordinary operations they want to charge the perpetrators for and which not. The law contains a “may” wording.
The council is opposed to the initiative
The Young SVP is now demanding the reformulation to a “must” wording. Camille Lothe (28), chairman of the SVP of the city of Zurich, is said to have said in a statement that it is not okay if the taxpayer has to pay for the costs incurred.
The issue of passing on costs to protesters has already been discussed in the cantonal council. Last year, parliament discussed an FDP initiative that also demanded protesters or squatters be billed for police operations and damages.
However, the cantonal council, dominated by left-greens, rejected the initiative. This is a marketing push from the right and difficult to implement in everyday life. The board of directors also spoke out against a change. The current arrangement is sufficient.