Can Jenische settle in Thônex without permission?
Published: Monday, Jul 31st 2023, 13:40
تم التحديث في: الجمعة، 13 أكتوبر 2023، الساعة 14:12:14
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The Jenische people have been occupying a communal property in Thônex, Geneva without permission since Sunday. The municipality is planning to file a criminal complaint. Around 20 families have settled in Thônex, according to a report by the newspaper "Le Temps" on Monday. The caravans are parked practically under the windows of the town hall. The action is a sign of the desperation of the Swiss Travellers in the face of the lack of places that allow a nomadic lifestyle, said Stève Gerzner, the representative of the community, to the news agency Keystone-SDA. "We have nothing in the canton of Geneva, although this is one of the richest cantons in Switzerland, with a city that presents itself as the capital of human rights," Gerzner added. The Jenische are willing to stay as long as it takes to get the authorities to act. They hope to get more transit sites with access to water and electricity. "It's in the law," Gerzner points out. The Jenische are recognized as a minority, and Switzerland must facilitate the practice of their travelling lifestyle. However, the right is difficult to enforce. The Jenische have repeatedly asked the municipalities for pitches, but have always been rejected. The Geneva municipality does not want to give in in this case either. In a press release, Mayor Pascal Uehlinger stated that the municipality would file a criminal complaint "for breach of the peace, damage to property and energy theft (water and electricity)". The executive of the municipality of Thônex hopes that "the support of the cantonal authorities will make it possible to normalize this situation as quickly as possible and thus to give the inhabitants of Thônex access to this festive and summery place again". In Switzerland, around 35,000 Jenische people live, some of whom lead a nomadic life between March and October, while most become sedentary in winter. A study by the "Future for Swiss Travellers" foundation has shown that the number of pitches and transit sites has decreased rather than increased in recent years.
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