Fedpol only prohibits entry if there is a specific danger
Published: Monday, Mar 18th 2024, 18:30
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In the case of the Austrian right-wing extremist Martin Sellner, the Federal Office of Police has examined a request from the Zurich cantonal police to impose an entry ban. However, it only issues bans if there are concrete indications of danger.
"The protection of freedom of expression is a fundamental principle of our constitutional state, which also applies in the context of internal and external security," Fedpol wrote on Monday in response to an inquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency.
"Opinions, provided they are not associated with activities that pose a concrete danger or are relevant under criminal law, do not in themselves constitute a threat to internal or external security and thus justify the issuing of an entry ban," the Fedpol statement continues.
"Radical or extreme views alone are not sufficient grounds for a threat to internal or external security or to justify preventive police measures."
Police stop right-wing extremist meeting
In its statement, Fedpol made no specific reference to the case of Martin Sellner, who was stopped by the Aargau cantonal police on Saturday. Due to official secrecy, it could not provide information on specific individual cases.
However, a spokesperson for the Zurich cantonal police confirmed on request that his police force had asked Fedpol to ban Sellner from entering the country. The cantonal police would not provide any further information.
Zurich's security director Mario Fehr (non-party) was quoted by the Tamedia newspapers on Monday as saying that it was regrettable that the federal government had refrained from imposing an entry ban in good time. "In view of the rising number of offenses, the cantonal police forces have better things to do than prevent provocative events by right-wing extremists."
Sellner had wanted to give a lecture on Saturday at a meeting of the "Junge Tat" organization in Tegerfelden AG, which is considered to be right-wing extremist. The police got wind of this, stopped Sellner and ordered him away from the canton of Aargau.
Sellner: supporter of "remigration"
The reason given was that this was done to ensure public safety and to prevent confrontations with people from the other side.
Martin Sellner is the former head of the Identitarian movement in Austria. At a recently publicized meeting of right-wing extremists in Potsdam (Germany), he spoke about "remigration", i.e. that a large number of people of foreign origin should leave Germany, for example - even under duress.
©Keystone/SDA
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