Muslim and Jewish people stand up against violence and hatred
Published: Sunday, Mar 10th 2024, 15:00
Updated At: Sunday, Mar 10th 2024, 15:00
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Muslim and Jewish people and organizations held a rally against hatred and violence in Zurich on Sunday. The peaceful rally was held in solidarity with the Jewish victim of last weekend's knife attack.
According to a journalist from the Keystone-SDA news agency, between 300 and 400 people were present. They wanted to set an example for humanity, respect and solidarity. Twelve Jewish and Muslim speakers expressed their wishes for peaceful and respectful coexistence in Switzerland and against anti-Semitism, hostility towards Muslims, racism, hatred, violence and exclusion.
The participants expressed their sympathy for the victim of the knife attack with a minute's silence. The human chain formed during the rally filled the entire square, according to the organizers.
The knife attack on an orthodox Jew in Zurich was another wake-up call that all people have a duty to stand up against violence - for a world in which every human life is protected. According to the organizers, it is important to stand together and not allow minorities to be played off against each other.
The rally was organized by a private group of Muslims and Jews who, according to their own information, have been meeting since October under the motto "Lonely together" for dialogue and exchange. The aim is to strengthen coexistence in Switzerland. And together they mourned the victims of violence in Palestine and Israel.
Accumulation of anti-Semitic incidents
Sunday's event was supported by the Association of Islamic Organizations Zurich, the Platform of Liberal Jews in Switzerland and the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities, among others.
Incidents of anti-Semitism in particular have increased in Switzerland since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October and the Israeli counter-attack on the Palestinian Gaza Strip, which is governed by the organization. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization in the EU and the USA; in Switzerland, parliament and the Federal Council want to ban it.
At the beginning of February, the Federal Council announced that it would work with the cantons to develop a strategy and an action plan against racism and anti-Semitism.
©Keystone/SDA
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