Violence against Jews: National Councillor Vontobel approaches the Federal Council

National Councillor Erich Vontobel (EDU/SVP) is concerned about the security of the Jewish community in Switzerland. This is against the backdrop of a large number of pro-Palestine demonstrations, some of them violent, with a clear anti-Semitic character in various Swiss cities recently and because of the terrorist attack on December 14, 2020 in the Australian metropolis of Sydney. There, two assassins affiliated with the “Islamic State IS” opened fire on the participants of a Jewish holiday celebration, killing 15 people and injuring over 40 others, some of them seriously. For this reason, Vontobel and five co-signatories have now submitted an interpellation entitled “Extremist structures behind Israel-related protests: clarification and prevention”.

“In Switzerland, too, demonstrations and actions in the context of the “globalized intifada” are on the rise,” writes Vontobel in the introduction to the interpellation. “In this environment, violence against Jews and Israelis is being mobilized openly or covertly. Since October 7, 2023, the Jewish community has been warning that the constant calls for an “intifada” will not remain without consequences.” The EDU National Councillor, who is a member of the SVP parliamentary group, therefore puts four questions to the federal government: 1. what lessons has the Federal Council learned from the attack in Bondi Beach (Sydney) on 14.12.2025? 2. are the relevant services investigating which organizations are behind the demonstrations in Basel on 15.12.2025 or in Bern on 11.10.2025? And are they clarifying whether these organizations are networked with each other? 3. is the Federal Council investigating whether the organizations that called for a protest against the Jewish-organized “Silent Walk” in Basel are affiliated with the banned terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)? 4. what is the assessment of Charlotte Kates’ appearance in Geneva on 24.10.2023, in which she referred to crimes committed by the British “Palestine Action” and called on Swiss activists to follow suit?