Basel: Young SVP members kicked out of a bar because of their political party

A seemingly simple but explosive story. Cantonal delegates from the Swiss SVP Youth were reportedly turned away from a bar because of their political views, according to an exclusive report Le Regard Libre. The president and vice-president of the formation react.

No foam for these young people, even though they hadn’t done anything that would cause the server to get worked up. Well, except for one thing: they belong to an organization that bothers him. Namely, the Swiss Young SVP. No sooner had they settled in at the Basel bar «Ts’Fähri Bödeli» than a good dozen cantonal delegates were asked to leave by the manager, according to their account:

«After taking our order, he asked us which organization we were with, and when we told him, he snapped, «I don't serve those people.»»

These are the words of Sacha Turin, vice president of the Swiss SVP Youth. The Vaud native, visibly upset, also said he was very surprised: «The president of the Basel SVP Youth had taken care to reserve our table for this outing following our national convention, and she had specified which group she was making the reservation for.» Also present when this occurred, the party’s youth president, Basel native David Trachsel, confirms the scene described by his colleague in every detail and asserts that his group would not have said or done anything that could have offended their host. For him, this incident is indicative of a broader trend:

«Our being kicked out of this bar (a public one, it’s worth noting) is yet more proof of the anti-democratic, intolerant culture—one that is hostile to freedom of expression—that is spreading everywhere. If you disagree with someone of this mindset, they won’t have you.»

A trend that the young politician does not hesitate to link to «woke» culture. A term, let’s not forget, borrowed from African American slang and derived from the English «awake» (awake), which describes a stance of opposition to all forms of inequality—or what is perceived as such—and to anyone who would defend them.

There’s no doubt that this incident—whether or not it is confirmed by the Basel institution, which we have not yet been able to reach—will serve as a political talking point for the Young SVP. A little over two weeks ago, the group denounced the policy pursued by the UBS bank, which asked its employees to use «gender-neutral» words.

Update: in an article published on the 24 heures website on August 14, the owner of the Fähri Bödeli reported another version: «The manager asked them to leave because it's a very quiet place, and their presence created an energy that didn't really fit in with the harmony of the place. But this has nothing to do with politics.»

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