Swiss senate buries proposed balaclava ban
Swiss senate buries proposed balaclava ban
Switzerland’s senate on Thursday buried a proposal to outlaw the wearing of balaclavas nationally as a way of improving security.
MPs in the lower house of parliament (National Council) last year voted for the proposal, arguing that it would make it easier for police to deal with troublemakers.
The issue came into focus last month when balaclava-wearing activists smashed windows of banks and shops, as well as the Swedish embassy in Bern, during a techno parade through the Swiss capital.
But the senate voted 27 to three against the ban, backed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.
Security falls within the jurisdiction of the cantons and it is unacceptable to interfere in their bailiwick, Paul Niederberger, a Christian Democrat from Nidwalden said, according to a report from ATS.
http://www.thelocal.ch/20130606/swiss-senate-buries-proposed-ban-on-balaclavas
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