The Swiss city of Geneva approved this Monday an explicit ban on the use of symbols and emblems considered “hateful” in public places, which will now be written into the canton’s constitution.
The decision was made by voters in the canton of Geneva in a referendum held this Monday, in which they approved a ban in public places on “the display or use of emblems or any objects of hatred, especially Nazi ones.”
Although the Criminal Code already prohibits discrimination and incitement to hatred, supporters of the initiative stressed that this currently does not apply to racist symbols and gestures unless they can be proven to be used for propaganda purposes to attract followers.
According to this logic, publicly wearing a Nazi armband cannot be subject to criminal prosecution, nor can giving the Hitler salute in front of other people.
The Parliament of the Canton of Geneva decided that it was necessary to clearly establish that any type of racist ideology cannot be considered a personal belief and that tolerance of its symbols is equivalent to tolerance of the ideologies underlying it.
By including this aspect in the Cantonal Constitution of Geneva, the authorities will have more room to maneuver in combating and preventing discrimination, in particular through education.
Although the issue was approved by the cantonal legislature, it had to be approved by the citizens through a referendum.