Celebrities mobilize against the SVP Wälti, Suter & Co. oppose the 10 million initiative

Numerous celebrities are speaking out against the SVP's 10 million initiative in a manifesto. They warn of an isolated Switzerland - and sharply criticize the party.

The popular initiative "No 10-million-Switzerland" demands that the Federal Council must do everything possible if there are too many people living in the country. However, after the SVP had no chance with its limitation initiative in 2020, this time it could work.

The vote will take place on June 14 and , according to polls, a majority of voters are in favor of accepting the initiative. All other parties are against it, but have so far failed with counter-proposals.

Now numerous Swiss celebrities are speaking out against the initiative. On Tuesday evening, well-known personalities from the worlds of sport, culture, science and society launched a manifesto together with the weekly newspaper (WOZ).

SVP program should be included in the constitution

"The party program of the SVP will be carved into the constitution," it says. In the text, the authors urgently warn of the consequences for the country. This is because the SVP wants to "erect bars around Switzerland". If the initiative is accepted, it would lead to a break with neighboring countries and the EU. The end of the free movement of persons would inevitably lead to the termination of bilateral agreements: "Switzerland fragile and alone in a raging, insecure world."

Nati captain Lia Wälti was one of the first signatories of the manifesto. "A Switzerland that excludes people and weakens this diversity is not the Switzerland I stand for," says the Juventus player, who took her first steps in professional football at YB. Football thrives on diversity, exchange and international experience.

Numerous successful Swiss writers have also signed the manifesto, including Martin Suter, Dorothee Elmiger and Nelio Biedermann. The band Züri West, David Constantin ("Tschugger") and Carol Schuler ("Tatort") have also signed up.

From the world of science, the list includes climate researcher Reto Knutti (ETH) and environmental historian Debjani Bhattacharyya (University of Zurich). She says that sustainability has very little to do with population figures. "Ecological burdens are based on our consumer society."

With its decidedly left-wing stance, the weekly is not the only newspaper to speak out against the initiative. The head of the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" newspaper also positioned himself against the initiative in an opinion piece.

Vote on June 14How the 10 million initiative works - and what its consequences would be for Switzerland

No overshoot before 2050

With the "No 10 million Swiss" or sustainability initiative, the SVP is once again attempting to limit immigration. According to the text of the initiative, the permanent resident population must not exceed ten million before 2050. If 9.5 million people live in the country before 2050, the Federal Council and parliament must take measures in the areas of asylum and family reunification. Temporarily admitted persons may no longer receive a permanent residence permit and may no longer be naturalized.

Switzerland would have to renegotiate international agreements that lead to an increase in the population with regard to exemption or protection clauses, or apply existing protection clauses. If the 10 million limit is exceeded before 2050, the Federal Council must do everything feasible to get back below this limit and terminate international agreements that lead to population growth as quickly as possible. If the 10 million limit remains exceeded for two years after the first overrun, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons with the EU must be terminated.

With material from the Keystone-SDA news agency.