Ok. So you genuinely believe that 75% of all Swiss would make sweeping statements against foreigners as we have seen in this thread?

The SVP has not a majority, but 30%. That's far too much in my eyes, but not a majority. What they won were a couple of fairly emotional votes on topics: Minaretts, criminal Foreigners - which is btw not the same as illegal foreigners - I am fairly open when it comes to "illegal people" with the wrong passport, but far less so to convicts of severe crimes...

These votes were won and there is no way to discuss it away: The majority of the voters voted against Muslims, not minarets. 54% of all voters participated. Reality is that the right wing gets their voters to the ballots while most people could not care.

But saying that 75% of all Swiss are xenophobic is in my eyes unfounded, they simply don't care. At least in Zurich have the other parties reacted to the low voter turnout - the last votes saw a decent increase. And suddenly the SVP doesn't win anymore. But of course was this all about "Japan"...

... sometimes you really don't need ten characters to proof a point.

Your above quote really says it all. There are a lot of Swiss out there who say they aren't SVP and yet usually vote with the same mindset. That's the reality.

There are a lot of xenophobes in Switzerland, but probably not more or less than in other countries. However, I believe 75% is too high for most of Switzerland. For my village, I'd say it's about right.

wow... a swiss colleague of mine said the same things over coffee today, along with a large dose of "we should reduce the number of foreigners in Switzerland" and "Swiss should marry only Swiss".

sounds like some SVP bull-crap, but then...

All true. Children are amazingly resilient individuals and thank goodness for that.

It's the impact of the negative circumstances that concerned me and hopefully there will be no long term adverse effect on her (or the friends she left behind in Switzerland) as a result. Aged between 13-14, yes, she is still a child but is at an age where many experience enough problems with the onset of puberty and all the issues that raises, let alone having to come to terms with something like this. That's where my sympathies lie with this issue...

Huh? Me what?

It doesn't make it right.

You are one of the legal immigrants in our community.

nope, they are considered, anti-immigrant xenophobes.

There is no right or wrong way of dealing with such situation. In US, they deport the parents and make the child stay back (if born in US)...now that is more harsher than what happens here.
Just a thought....people move all the time (like most expats here) and their kids move along with them losing all their friends and etc. It is not the kid's fault, right?
Nevertheless, hope the girl that OP talked about recovers from the sudden change of events and will find happiness wherever she lives.

LOL, Is that the new name for expat?

He didn't say returning back to Kosovo (home) was a bad thing. His main point is that imaginary and pointless boundaries but nonetheless a modern day human requirement, penalizes people for irrevertable "natural" reasons.

Surely not ? That is a contravention of their human rights, of the parents and of the children..(Article 8)

What the Swiss Authorities done is correct. It is totally Illegal to be here in Switzerland without proper permit.

How do you know they didn't have one ?

I have to agree, although it may cross the taboo of not thinking that all kids are fragile and innocent little angels who must be protected from unpleasantness at all costs. If I had the choice between being deported as a kid, while my life was still ahead of me and when changing residency wouldn't have such a debilitating effect on my future, or go through it as an adult, I'd choose the former in a heartbeat. I am sorry the little girl won't be able to see her friends of six months in the immediate future, but I feel much more sorry for the parents who have to go through the pain and disgrace (to themselves and to their daughter) of being sent back and having to restart their life. If their deportation was justified, I can't agree with their choices, but I see no reason to celebrate what is happening to them or to think that their daughter's plight is somehow more deserving of sympathy than theirs.

Sad stuff all around.

Bloody hell, that's rough. Who picks up the tab for the schooling and welfare of the child that stays behind?

Monty Brogan, you are a disgrace to the Irish.

We have travelled the world for hundred of years as immgrants (both legal and illegal) and the very least you could show is some compassion. There are an estimated 50,000 illegal Irish emmigrants living in the US alone. See here for more info

Thankfully the Americans have shown far more compassion to our countrymen than you are advocating. Few people in this world should be better able to instinctively understand the heart break of emmigration that the Irish. Thats part of the reason why no SVP or BNP style party has ever taken off in the country. It's part of our national psyche.

Unfortunately there are always people like you who lack the emotional intellegence to grasp this and will let the side down. Remember that even on a message board you are a type of ammbassador for your country. We trade heavily off our good name across the world and it would be a shame for someone like you to undermine that.

About time too. The world is full of decent Irish folk. I felt his comments were far from Irish, unlike the Murphies, he is bitter.