A historian's reflections on immigration to Switzerland

Patrick Willisch is a teacher at the Lycée-Collège des Creusets in Sion (VS). He specializes in the study of migration and wrote his doctoral dissertation on the granting of citizenship to stateless persons in the canton of Valais. We interviewed him about immigration in Switzerland as well as the initiative «against mass immigration» launched by the Swiss People's Party (UDC).

Le Regard Libre: Where did your interest in migration come from?

Patrick Willisch: Actually, it all started when I was a child. I grew up in a village near Brig, half an hour from the Italian border. I’ve always been fascinated by the Italians who passed through or lived in Brig—their language and their culture.

What do you find most interesting about the study of migration in general?

This cultural exchange is an inherent part of migration. An immigrant is someone who lives and works in our country, but we often forget that they also contribute culturally. Take a very simple example: the influence of Italians on Swiss cuisine is significant.

You believe that immigration has often been overlooked by Swiss historians. Is that really the case? And why do you think that is?

Whether in Valais, Switzerland, or Europe, immigration is a field of research that developed very late. In Valais, research on immigration did not begin to take shape until 1990. Furthermore, immigration is scarcely mentioned in reference works on Swiss history, even though one-third of the Swiss population has an immigrant background and research on immigration has gained momentum. Most Swiss people are unaware that our country became a land of immigration as early as 1888; this oversight is not unique to Switzerland: France and Germany, for example, also struggle to acknowledge that they have become lands of immigration. In contrast, research on immigration began very early in the United States, the quintessential land of immigration; immigration is deeply rooted in the collective memory of Americans.

In its new initiative, the SVP is certainly calling for less immigration, but it is also calling into question the bilateral agreements, which were originally a Plan B to Switzerland’s accession to the European Economic Area—a move that the same party had successfully opposed. How can this be explained?

In the late 1980s, the UDC was a conservative party in decline, with 11% seats in the National Council (1987 figure) and only one Federal Councilor. Then, the party experienced a turning point starting in 1992 when the Swiss people rejected joining the European Economic Area (EEA). The party then shifted its focus to popular issues that other parties rarely addressed, such as Swiss independence, immigration, asylum policy, and security. In 1994 and 2004, the Swiss people rejected simplified naturalization, which the SVP opposed. However, the bilateral agreements—including the right to the free movement of persons—were accepted in 2000 by two-thirds of the Swiss population, as was the expansion of those agreements in 2004 and 2009, which primarily concerned Eastern European countries. By capitalizing on these issues, the SVP managed to become Switzerland’s leading party in 2003. In 2007, it reached its peak with 28.9% of the vote for the National Council. Thus, the SVP aims to maintain or even expand its voter base by launching initiatives such as the one on which the people will vote on February 9. This initiative «against mass immigration» encompasses all the issues central to their ideology by drawing a connection between Switzerland’s independence, Europe, foreigners, and crime.

If it were to be approved, do you think the initiative «against mass immigration» would solve certain problems, such as crime, at least in part?

«More foreigners, more crime» is far too simplistic a line of reasoning. Take burglars, for example: these «criminal tourists” would not be affected by the implementation of this initiative. In fact, these criminals generally come from neighboring countries and return there. These problems must be addressed through law enforcement measures, not through a popular initiative.

Do you think this initiative will be accepted?

In the past, all popular initiatives aimed at limiting the number of foreigners in Switzerland have failed: notably the popular initiative Schwarzenbach with 54% of «no» votes in 1970, the popular initiative «to limit immigration» with 67.3% of «no» votes in 1988, and the popular initiative “to regulate immigration” (aimed at limiting the foreign population in Switzerland to 18%), which was rejected by 63.8% in 2000. In my opinion, the Swiss are aware of the economic importance of foreigners to our country. And I believe that the majority of our fellow citizens will follow this line of thinking.

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com