Police intervened

Switzerland: Illegal meeting with Sellner broken up

Martin Sellner

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

On Saturday, the Swiss police broke up an illegal appearance by Austrian right-wing extremist Martin Sellner in Tegerfelden in the canton of Aargau and then turned him away. According to the cantonal police, there were around 100 people at the "Junge Tat" event. The police intervened because the event was not ended, even though the landlord had terminated the contract in full knowledge of the content of the event.

"To ensure public safety and prevent confrontations with people from the opposite side, the speaker at the event was stopped and removed from the cantonal territory", the statement said, referring to Sellner. The police were also able to prevent the arrival of political opponents.

Entry apparently by rubber dinghy
As a video posted by the right-wing group "AktiveJugend-CH" shows, Sellner arrived in Switzerland via Lake Constance in a rubber dinghy. "I can only recommend to all people who are worried about entering Switzerland, you can get in safely and easily via Lake Constance," he said after his arrival. Neither the federal police nor the cantonal police had made a "clear announcement as to whether I was allowed to come", said Sellner, who smiled and described himself as a "boat refugee".

Sellner presents himself as a victim
Sellner tried to use the incident for propaganda purposes in a video shared on social media. Using the term for forcibly pushing back migrants, he spoke of a "push-back" in the video, which showed him cheerfully sitting in the back of a car.

He made fun of the cantonal police's deportation order by holding a piece of paper with the borders of the canton of Eastern Switzerland in red into the camera. At the same time, he thanked the neighboring canton of Zurich, to which he was apparently traveling, for accepting him. "Today you have made the idea of remigration world-famous in the canton of Aargau. Many thanks to the Kapo," he said, referring to the cantonal police.

The term "remigration" refers to nothing other than the forcible mass deportation of people who have been denied the right of residence. This does not only refer to illegal migrants, but also legal immigrants or even naturalized citizens, which does not suit right-wing extremists like Sellner.

Sellner also promoted his idea last November at a meeting with high-ranking right-wing extremists, including politicians from the right-wing populist AfD. As a result, mass demonstrations against right-wing extremism were held in numerous German cities, as well as in Austria. In Austria, leading FPÖ politicians support Sellner's ideas.