Switzerland experienced a significant rise in racist and xenophobic incidents in 2024, including attacks targeting Muslims and Arabs, according to official statistics released on Sunday.
Approximately 1,211 cases of racial discrimination were reported last year, encompassing hate speech, physical assaults, threats, and other discriminatory behaviours related to race or religion, marking an approximately 40% increase compared to the previous year. This information comes from the Federal Commission against Racism (EKR).
Such incidents have been steadily increasing for several years in this affluent Alpine nation, home to nearly nine million people, with around 40% being of foreign origin.
However, the surge observed last year was “particularly significant,” stated the EKR in a joint communiqué with the Swiss NGO, Humanrights.
Several factors could explain this increase, including rising geopolitical tensions, growing polarisation in public debate, and a greater willingness to report discrimination cases.
The most frequently reported incidents involved xenophobic and anti-Black discrimination, accounting for 65% of all cases. Discrimination against Muslims and Arabs showed the largest increase compared to 2023, with over 350 cases, the report highlights. Almost 80 anti-Asian attacks and 66 antisemitic cases were also reported.
Most incidents were verbal assaults, but around a hundred physical assaults with a racist motive were also recorded. Hate speech incidents saw the most dramatic rise, with 149 reports in 2024. Additionally, there were over 400 reports of derogatory comments, nearly 300 of insults, and more than 100 of threats.
Close to one-fifth of the recorded reports occurred in educational settings, primarily schools, according to the report.
