“No Zionists in Zion”: Anti-Semitism with a green logo

The Young Greens are spreading an anti-Semitic call for exclusion. Their boycott is targeting Israeli female soccer players, of all people. The post contains misinformation and must have consequences.

By David Spuler

The Young Greens of Switzerland have issued a call to action under the slogan “No Zionists in Sion!” In it, they call for a boycott of Israel and oppose the Switzerland–Israel women’s international soccer match scheduled for October 13, 2026.

This post is not a political slip-up on the fringes of an otherwise successful campaign. It highlights a fundamental problem: An organization that claims to stand for openness, freedom, and the fight against exclusion is spreading an anti-Semitic slogan of exclusion and passing it off as a moral stance.

Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. Anyone who wants to keep Zionists out of Zion is not criticizing the Israeli government. They are declaring people undesirable simply because they affirm the Jewish people’s right to national self-determination.

The self-proclaimed “Party Against Exclusion” is itself excluding others

In their own party platform, the Young Greens declare that they stand for “social cohesion, openness, peace, and social justice.” They say they want to fight against “discrimination, exclusion, and racism.” Party platform of the Young Greens of Switzerland

“No Zionists in Sion” is the exact opposite of that.

The slogan does not specify a concrete decision, a responsible person, or a verifiable action. It is directed against an entire political and identity-based group. Zionists are not to be welcome. Their belief that the Jewish people, too, have a right to self-determination and their own state is intended to make them outcasts.

In doing so, the Young Greens refute their own party platform in four words. Their supposed openness ends with Zionism. Their fight against exclusion ends with the Jews. Their much-vaunted diversity apparently applies only to people who fit into their own ideological worldview.

That is not progressive politics. It is anti-Semitism with a green logo.

Zionism is not Netanyahu

The term “Zionist” is not synonymous with a supporter of the current Israeli government. Zionists can be on the left or the right, religious or secular, conservative or socialist. They may support the Israeli government or oppose it vehemently.

What unites them is the conviction that the Jewish people have a right to national self-determination and that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. Anyone who shouts “No Zionists!” is therefore not opposing a government; they are opposing the fundamental principle of Jewish self-determination.

The Young Greens could have criticized the Netanyahu government. They could have singled out individual ministers, parties, or political decisions. They did not do that. They deliberately chose a much broader target: Zionists. This choice of words is not an inaccuracy. It is the core of the message.

Of all people, Israeli female soccer players are being portrayed as the enemy.

The immediate occasion is the second leg of the first playoff round for the 2027 Women’s World Cup. The Swiss national team will face Israel on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Stade de Tourbillon in Sion. The matchup was determined by a standard draw conducted by UEFA, the European soccer governing body.

The Israeli female athletes are athletes. They are not the Israeli cabinet. They do not pass laws or command an army. Nevertheless, according to the Young Greens, they should be excluded from an international sports competition.

This also reveals the double standard of this youth party’s so-called feminism. As long as women fit into their own political narrative, they demand visibility, participation, and equality. But as soon as those women are Israeli and represent the Jewish state, they are no longer allowed to participate.

Israeli women are not treated as individuals, but as a canvas for projection. Their athletic performance doesn’t matter. Their personal beliefs don’t matter. It’s enough that their jersey says “Israel.” That is collective ostracism, not a policy of equality.

The SFV is not the Federal Council

The Young Greens claim that by hosting the game, “Switzerland” is siding with Israel.

This, too, is a deliberate blurring of different levels. The Swiss Football Association (SFV) is not a federal agency. A regularly scheduled UEFA match is not a declaration of support for foreign policy. A national team’s participation in a sporting competition does not mean that the host country endorses all decisions made by the government in question.

According to the Young Greens’ logic, every soccer game would be a diplomatic statement. Female athletes would be held personally liable for every action taken by their government. This logic is not only wrong; it destroys the very individual freedoms that the Young Greens claim to want to defend.

TThe Young Greens are telling lies

To justify their call for a boycott, the Young Greens claim that a genocide committed by Israel has been recognized by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). That is false and untrue. The former chief prosecutor of the ICJ, Karim Khan, even explicitly stated a few months ago that he had found no evidence of genocide by Israel in Gaza during his investigations.

The case is still pending. The Young Greens are thus presenting provisional measures as a supposedly final judgment. However, no such judgment has been issued yet. A political organization like the Young Greens, which makes such serious allegations, should know the difference.

This anti-Semitic call must have consequences

The Young Greens must retract the post and issue a public apology. They must not silently delete it, rephrase it after the fact, or downplay it with another statement. They must acknowledge that “No Zionists” is an anti-Semitic exclusionary slogan.

The Swiss Green Party, as the parent party, must also explain itself. Anyone who demands a clear stance against any other form of group-based exclusion cannot remain silent in the face of antisemitism within its own youth wing.

A legal review is also necessary. The relevant authorities must determine whether a public call to exclude a group of people associated with Jewish self-determination from a Swiss city or a sporting event crosses legal boundaries, particularly those set forth in Article^261bis of the Swiss Penal Code, which addresses anti-racism. Freedom of speech protects harsh criticism. However, it is not a free pass for discrimination and public exclusion.

If current law does not adequately cover such euphemistic language, this gap must also be addressed through political debate. Anti-Semitism must not go unpunished simply because the word “Zionists” is used instead of “Jews.”

The answer lies in the stadium

Public ticket sales begin on Monday, September 14, 2026, at 2 p.m. Anyone with a shred of decency should secure a ticket. On October 13, the Stade de Tourbillon should be filled with people who peacefully and unequivocally oppose the Young Greens’ anti-Semitic exclusionist rhetoric—waving Swiss flags, waving Israeli flags, and showing respect for both teams—without violence or intimidation.

Because the message must be clear and clearly visible: Israeli female athletes are welcome in Switzerland. Jewish self-determination is not a reason for exclusion. Anti-Semitism remains anti-Semitism—even when it comes from a party that considers itself particularly tolerant.

David Spuler is a political analyst specializing in Swiss politics, Israel, and the Middle East. He has an academic background in politics, philosophy, and economics (PPE) and is currently furthering his studies in political science in Zurich.