Unser Lääbe in Thalwil

Voters in Thalwil have backed easier citizenship for young foreigners, despite nation-wide rejection of the new law after a controversial campaign by far-right groups.

The proposals supported by three of the four major parties wanted to ease strict citizenship rules for young second-generation foreigners and offer naturalisation at birth to the third generation. The only major party to oppose this change was the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP). In an uncompromising campaign, the SVP and various shady groups associated with its leading members appealed to xenophobic instincts and used misleading statistics to threaten a naturalised Muslim majority in Switzerland by 2035.

Despite a positive trend in early opinion polls, the complacency of the supporters and the shameless propaganda of the opponents led to the rejection of the new law in today's nation-wide vote. Thalwil was one of the few rural communities in Eastern Switzerland to approve both proposals.

One of the most outrageous SVP adverts warned that if the naturalisation law were passed, women would soon be subject to Muslim policies. This was all the more laughable given the SVP's chauvinist opposition to maternity benefits - another proposal backed by the voters of Thalwil.