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Swiss Authorities Wrestle With Ban on Pro-Hamas Demonstrations
Pro-Hamas demonstrators in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo: Screenshot
The Swiss authorities are debating whether to ban pro-Hamas demonstrations after thousands of protesters took to the streets of Zurich and Geneva over the weekend to rally against Israel.
Around 2,000 people assembled in Geneva, brandishing Palestinian flags and calling for an end to the “genocide” which Israel is alleged to be carrying out in Gaza, while another 1,000 took to the streets of Zurich, chanting the slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free” — widely interpreted as a call for Israel’s destruction as a sovereign Jewish state.
The Zurich demonstration took place despite appeals from Mario Fehr — the director of security for the Zurich canton — for a ban. More than 50 antisemitic incidents have been reported in Switzerland — which has a Jewish community of 20,000 — since the atrocities carried out by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
A statement from the Zurich city government ahead of the demonstration noted that bans are implemented not on the basis of the political content of a demonstration, but on whether public safety can be guaranteed.
In an interview last Friday with the NZZ news outlet, Fehr described the rise of antisemitism in Switzerland over the last five weeks as “rampant” and “unbearable.”
“Jewish friends tell me about abuse and hostility. On house walls I read slogans like ‘Death to the Jews.’ We cannot allow that in a tolerant, peaceful country,” Fehr said.
Pro-Hamas demonstrations across Europe had demonstrated “that antisemitism is more widespread in certain cultures,” Fehr said. “Especially in parts of the Arab world, children learn from an early age to hate Jews and Israel. We have to be careful that we do not give room to this hatred.”
Fehr emphasized that he wanted to avoid the present situation in Germany, where Islamist organizations have staged angry demonstrations in support of Hamas, to be repeated in Switzerland.
“We also have anti-Israel demonstrations, which are increasingly being hijacked by extremists. They aim to wipe out Israel and all Jews,” he argued. “The danger that Islamists from Germany or other countries will now move to Switzerland and spread their hatred is real.”
Fehr said that he had advised the Zurich city authorities to prevent any further pro-Hamas demonstrations. “Such demonstrations can degenerate quickly and are difficult to control,” he said. “The municipalities responsible for demonstration approvals in the canton of Zurich should be aware of their responsibility.”
While demonstrations are still permitted in Geneva and Zurich, the city of Berne has said that such gatherings will not be permitted between Nov. 17 and Dec. 24, the eve of the Christmas holiday.
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FBI Investigating ‘Targeted Terror Attack’ in Boulder, Colorado, Director Says
FILE PHOTO: FBI Director Kash Patel testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Trump’s proposed budget request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sunday the agency was aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado.
While he did not provide further details, Patel said in a social media post: “Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”
According to CBS News, which cited witnesses at the scene, a suspect attacked people with Molotov cocktails who were participating in a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza.
The Boulder Police Department said it was responding to a report of an attack in the city involving several victims. It has not released further details but a press conference was expected at 4 p.m. Mountain Time (2200 GMT).
The attack comes just weeks after a Chicago-born man was arrested in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C. Someone opened fire on a group of people leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel.
The shooting fueled polarization in the United States over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
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Terrorist Responsible for Death of 21 Soldiers Eliminated
An Israeli F-35I “Adir” fighter jet. Photo: IDF
i24 News – Khalil Abd al-Nasser Mohammed Khatib, the terrorist who commanded the terrorist cell that killed 21 soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip on January 22, 2024, was killed by an Israeli airstrike, the IDF said on Sunday.
In a joint operation between the military and the Shin Bet security agency, the terrorist was spotted in a reconnaissance mission. The troops called up an aircraft to target him, and he was eliminated.
Khatib planned and took part in many other terrorist plots against Israeli soldiers.
i24NEWS’ Hebrew channel interviewed Dor Almog, the sole survivor of the mass casualty disaster, who was informed on live TV about the death of the commander responsible for the killing his brothers-in-arms.
“I was sure this day would come – I was a soldier and I know what happens at the end,” said Almog. “The IDF will do everything to bring back the abductees and to topple Hamas, to the last one man.”
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Stanley Fischer, Former Fed Vice Chair and Bank of Israel Chief, Dies at 81
FILE PHOTO: Vice Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve System Stanley Fischer arrives to hear Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney delivering the Michel Camdessus Central Banking Lecture at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, U.S., September 18, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
Stanley Fischer, who helped shape modern economic theory during a career that included heading the Bank of Israel and serving as vice chair of the US Federal Reserve, has died at the age of 81.
The Bank of Israel said he died on Saturday night but did not give a cause of death. Fischer was born in Zambia and had dual US-Israeli citizenship.
As an academic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fischer trained many of the people who went on to be top central bankers, including former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as well as Mario Draghi, the former European Central Bank president.
Fischer served as chief economist at the World Bank, and first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund during the Asian financial crisis and was then vice chairman at Citigroup from 2002 to 2005.
During an eight-year stint as Israel’s central bank chief from 2005-2013, Fischer helped the country weather the 2008 global financial crisis with minimal economic damage, elevating Israel’s economy on the global stage, while creating a monetary policy committee to decide on interest rates like in other advanced economies.
He was vice chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2017 and served as a director at Bank Hapoalim in 2020 and 2021.
Current Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron praised Fischer’s contribution to the Bank of Israel and to advancing Israel’s economy as “truly significant.”
The soft-spoken Fischer – who played a role in Israel’s economic stabilization plan in 1985 during a period of hyperinflation – was chosen by then Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as central bank chief.
Netanyahu, now prime minister, called Fischer a “great Zionist” for leaving the United States and moving to Israel to take on the top job at Israel’s central bank.
“He was an outstanding economist. In the framework of his role as governor, he greatly contributed to the Israeli economy, especially to the return of stability during the global economic crisis,” Netanyahu said, adding that Stanley – as he was known in Israel – proudly represented Israel and its economy worldwide.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also paid tribute.
“He played a huge role in strengthening Israel’s economy, its remarkable resilience, and its strong reputation around the world,” Herzog said. “He was a world-class professional, a man of integrity, with a heart of gold. A true lover of peace.”
The post Stanley Fischer, Former Fed Vice Chair and Bank of Israel Chief, Dies at 81 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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