Agency lodges complaint Thun transport company refuses to advertise with Bible verses
The Christian agency C also advertises with Bible verses on the buses of some public transport companies - but not in the Bernese Oberland, where a company refuses to accept advertising with religious content.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- No religion on buses: The transport company STI in Thun refuses to advertise with Bible verses on its vehicles.
- The Christian advertising agency "C" did not want to take this lying down and complained.
- However, as neither the Office for Public Transport and Transport Coordination of the Canton of Bern nor the Federal Office of Transport wanted to deal with the matter, the matter ended up before the Federal Administrative Court.
- However, the court did not take action due to a missed deadline.
Posters with Bible verses can be found all over Switzerland. With quotes from the Holy Scriptures - always in yellow lettering on a blue background - the Christian agency C advertises in public spaces for turning to God.
The verses can also be seen on the buses of numerous public transport companies. However, in the Bernese Oberland, the Thun-based transport company STI refused to do so after being commissioned by the agency - with the clear indication that no advertising with religious content was desired.
Agency C did not want to take this lying down - and initially contacted the Office for Public Transport and Transport Coordination of the Canton of Bern, which, however, did not want to comment on the matter.
The office also stated that it did not see itself obliged to issue a contestable ruling, as the agency had requested.
BAV also does not wish to comment
A subsequent appeal to the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) for a denial of justice did not help the agency either, as the office is not responsible for handling the case and forwarded it to the Federal Administrative Court.
However, the court did not take action, as the 30-day deadline for submitting such an appeal had expired in the meantime. The court writes that the complainant, who was already represented by a lawyer in August 2023, should have submitted her appeal after the letter from STI Bus.
Does a public transport company have to weave for the church?
However, the ruling did not answer the really interesting question: Is a transport company with state involvement allowed to refuse to advertise a religious view?
However, there may be a decision on the matter. After all, the agency would still have the option of appealing to the Federal Court.
"Violates the constitution"
The bus company does not wish to comment on the case when asked by the "Tages-Anzeiger", but the president of Agency C is optimistic. After all, according to Peter Stucki, the decision was not made against their request on the merits, but due to a formal error.
"I am convinced that the rejection of our advertising violates the constitution," says Stucki. The agency is now considering appealing the ruling to the Federal Supreme Court.
With material from Keystone-sda.
