In the Bernese Oberland, hikers were amazed: about 25 men wearing Wehrmacht uniforms walked through the Wildhorn massif. The police intervened but this parade did not have criminal consequences.
KEYSTONE
It was a disturbing image for hikers in the Bernese Oberland: a group of around 25 men, dressed from head to the feet of old Wehrmacht uniforms, crossed the Wildhorn massif this weekend to reach the Iffigalp in the canton of Bern. This is what “SRF” reports on Tuesday.
According to a witness, swastikas and other symbols of the Nazi era were clearly visible on certain uniforms. The group spent the night in tents near the pasture.
As the Bernese cantonal police said at the “SRF”, information concerning this unusual group of hikers was received on Friday. On Saturday, the intervention forces fell on men above the Iffigalp. “The group was made up of around 25 people from different European countries as well as the United States,” said police spokesperson Deborah Zaugg.
The legal situation is evolving
The police then asked men to remove their jackets with Nazi symbols in order to avoid possible altercations with third parties. In addition, their identities were noted.
On the criminal level, the action has no consequences for the moment. So far, wearing Nazi symbols has not been prohibited in Switzerland, which is why similar rallies of right -wing extremists have taken place several times in recent years.
But the legal situation should change: the Federal Council draws up a law which should in the future make the swastikas and Hitler salvation punishable. The National Council and the Council of States both gave a mandate in this sense to a clear majority in 2024.
