RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – “You are not alone”. With this message, a group calling itself an “association of police officers from all the cantons of Switzerland” addresses their colleagues online.
The group has set up a website that allows police officers to “come forward without fear of sanctions or exclusion.” According to the anonymous creators of the platform, the need to freely express one’s opinion is “very great” among police officers.
The association has also sent a four-page letter to the Swiss Police Officers Association (SFP). In it, it criticizes the anti-Covid measures adopted by the federal government and the cantons and warns of possible insubordination within the police.
“Should the measures be directed against the general opinion of the population and disproportionately restrict their fundamental rights, many police officers would no longer be willing to apply them.”
The group also calls on the FSFP to demand answers to the Federal Council’s open questions and speak out clearly against a possible mandatory vaccination for police officers.
These demands are welcomed by lockdown and vaccine skeptics on the social network Telegram. Members of the group “Corona Rebels Switzerland” write: “Respect”, “bravo” or “great, we support you”.Around 3 out of 4 people report mild side effects, usually within two days of getting the vaccine, and more commonly after the second dose.
When asked, the FSFP distanced itself from any threat of insubordination. The association is also convinced that this grouping represents a minority of the FSFP’s 26,500 members.
“Police officers are citizens of this country and have the right to express their own opinions. They serve the people and are responsible for their protection and safety. But they are also subject to the orders of their employers, the police.”
The FSFP underlines the good work done by police officers during this difficult period: “For this, they deserve our thanks. Finally, the FSFP recalls that it has already spoken out clearly against mandatory vaccination in the past.
“Police refusing to enforce coronavirus measures is not unique to Switzerland,” writes Chris Tomlinson.
“Earlier this year, police in the Canadian province of Ontario rejected new powers given by the provincial government that would have allowed them to stop any motorist or pedestrian and demand to know where they live and why they were not at home.”