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The case made headlines across the country this week: in December 2019, a woman tried to blackmail Alain Berset (48) for 100,000 francs.
After the “Weltwoche” made the process public, the lawyer for the SP Federal Council spoke. On SonntagsBlick, he said the matter ended with the perpetrator’s conviction. He added: “He is more concerned by the fact that, since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, he has received massive death threats.” Then the case of Bern’s health director Pierre Alain Schnegg (57) was made public: the Corona deniers had publicized the residence of the SVP governing council through the Telegram communications service, and were excited about visit Schnegg and his “nice wife”. So reported the “Berner Zeitung”.
The two executive politicians are particularly exposed due to their responsibilities during the Covid pandemic. But threats and blackmail attempts are also part of daily life for many parliamentarians. Which also has to do with Corono, but not only.
Survey of 102 members of parliament
Sunday View asked the 246 national and state councils if they had ever been exposed to threats or attempted blackmail in the course of their political activities. 102 parliamentarians provided information, corresponding to about 40 percent of the Federal Assembly. According to their own statements, more than half have already been threatened, confronted with blackmail attempts or even blackmailed, for the sole reason that they are politicizing in Bern.
The results of the second question are even more surprising: 31 percent, that is, almost every third National Councilor or Council of States, then turned on the police or the judiciary.
The experiences that parliamentarians report anonymously are deeply ingrained. Switzerland, proud of its militia system that has grown over the centuries, has to recognize that those at the forefront of its political culture are sometimes massively targeted.
And that doesn’t just apply to political front men who regularly make direct statements in the press.
Many of the incidents were explicitly described on SonntagsBlick. For example, from a National Council that wanted to take some fliers to the people shortly before an important vote with party friends: “A guy came up to me and said he would beat me up if I got caught in a lonely alley.” The politician considered filing a complaint, but decided not to.
Chat with the media with WhatsApp
A representative of the town began to chat with a voter via WhatsApp. Then the man went to the media with the collected material and wanted to use it for his own publicity. Only a lawyer hired by the politician could prevent the publication.
The SonntagsBlick survey also revealed an important difference: female politicians are much more likely to face threats than their male colleagues in Bern. 66 percent of the participants said they had been threatened or blackmailed at least once. For men, the percentage is 20 points lower.
Some of the things that a large number of Swiss politicians seem to have to endure are difficult to formulate correctly.
Welsh FDP National Councilor Jacqueline de Quattro (60) also had similar experiences: “Even when I was a member of the State Councilor in Vaud, I regularly faced death threats and attempted coercion.”
The freethinker now wants to act; the protection of exposed persons will be improved. De Quattro will file a motion in parliament Monday declaring threats and violence against members of parliament, federal councilors, federal judges and public prosecutors an official crime.
Punish only when reported
Such a change in the law would mean that prosecutors would have to punish such acts ex officio. So far, they have only done so when the person in question takes action and reports it.
“These people are attacked for their role and not as private individuals,” explains de Quattro the measure. There is also the risk that hate speech (hate speech) on the Internet will induce further action. This must also be content.
The authorities’ effort would hardly be significantly greater if their motion were accepted; As the SonntagsBlick survey shows, many representatives of the legislature are hesitant to involve law enforcement in an emergency.
It remains to be seen whether the corona pandemic will subside.
