An incident or a daring act of civic responsibility
Luise Schneider (age 86) has painted with red spray on a billboard outside the Swiss National Bank’s headquarters in Bern: MONEY FOR WEAPONS KILLS. After this anti – war protesting act, she was arrested. Her protest was in support of an initiative aiming to ban Swiss financing of any company that produces weapons.
If a petition reaches the required 100,000 signatures, the initiative will go to a national referendum by October 2018. According to the pacifist Group for an Army-free Switzerland (GssA), Swiss entities have holdings of 4 to 12 billion Swiss francs in such companies.
This spontaneous act of a citizen who decided to write out a red political message on the foundation of Swiss stability – appears certanly strange and even scandalous. In Switzerland, politics happen through well-regulated institution and calls to vote.
In Swiss media the case was declared an incident and Luise Schneider was released shortly after.
On social networks and even world media, it was recognized primarily as a courageous act of political activism and civic responsibility.
Das Aktivisten-Grosi: Die 86-jährige Bernerin Louise Schneider besprayt die Baustellenbegrenzung der #SNB. ^sk pic.twitter.com/mphtkI57xY
— SRF News (@srfnews) April 11, 2017