Armed with a cream cake and stinking nettle fertilizer, a group of hooded men attempted to storm a room at the University of Geneva last Wednesday. Reason and purpose of the attack: SVP National Councilor Céline Amaudruz (43). The Geneva native, vice president of the national party, took part as a jury member in a debating competition on Swiss neutrality organized by the University of Geneva debating club and foreign policy think tank Foraus.
Amaudruz’s invitation was a thorn in the side of left-wing activists. They accuse the SVP of being racist, sexist and homophobic, among other things. Amaudruz chose the “fascist side”. “And fascists have no place in our training centers!” said an article published on the Renversé.co platform in western Switzerland.
“Amaudruz, you stink!”
The debate club described the action as “absolutely unacceptable” in a statement. As you write, an attempt has been made to let the militant activists into the hall. Two would have made it anyway. The cake was taken from them, but one of them sprayed a “chemical liquid” and “Antifascist Geneva – Amaudruz, you stink!” called. According to the disruptors, the liquid was a foul-smelling mixture of nettles used as fertilizer. The attackers then fled.
One of the troublemakers is said to be a board member of the student association of the University of Geneva.
University condemns disruptive action
SVP National Councilor Amaudruz has not yet responded to a request to look into the incident. The Geneva Club board regrets the incident and calls on the University of Geneva to impose appropriate sanctions. It would have been better if the activists had expressed their political views “with words instead of terror”.
The university also condemned the disruptive action in the strongest possible terms. “Respect for people and for opinions is the basis of any debate.” What happened is “completely contrary to the values of our institution,” a spokesperson told the Geneva-based free newspaper GHI. (lha)