Students in Geneva and Lausanne in Switzerland rally in solidarity with Palestinians [GETTY]
Swiss police reportedly arrested Palestinian journalist and Electronic Intifada (EI) co-founder Ali Abunimah on Saturday, as he arrived in Zurich for a speaking tour.
The publication revealed that police questioned Abunimah for an hour before he was permitted to enter the country, where he is currently detained and has had access to legal counsel.
“The Electronic Intifada team stands in solidarity with Ali Abunimah. Speaking out against injustice in Palestine is not a crime. Journalism is not a crime,” EI said in a statement.
According to the Swiss news site NZZ, Zurich police were notified of Abunimah attending an event held by The Palestine Committee Zurich and submitted a request to Fedpol that he be banned, which was accepted.
Government Councillor and head of the Department of Security, Mario Fehr, told the publication: “We do not want an Islamist Jew-hater who calls for violence in Switzerland.”
Fedpol can issue entry bans if they believe a person poses a security threat to Switzerland.
Abunimah was invited by the Palestine Committee Zurich to speak about media, advocacy and Palestine at an event on Sunday. The event has since been cancelled, with the committee accusing Zionist groups of pressuring venues not to host pro-Palestine events based on allegations that antisemites and “radical Islamists” would attend.
Swiss Action for Human Rights said the journalist was “violently and forcibly taken” while walking on the streets of Zurich, claiming the police intend “to keep him several nights in custody until they deport him out of the country next week”.
“We condemn this violation of [Abunimah’s] fundamental rights, of freedom of expression in Switzerland, and arbitrary discrimination and violence,” Swiss Action for Human Rights said.
EI says Abunimah’s arrest “appears to be part of a growing backlash from Western governments against expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people”.
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Geneva condemned the arrest, saying it “has no legal basis”, with one speaker saying the journalist “is defamed by Zurich media”.
“We support Ali Abunimah, all the Palestinian activists and activists for human rights,” the speaker added.
Last year, the UK’s Metropolitan Police confirmed its counterterrorism police raided the home of EI’s associate editor, Asa Winstanley, over social media posts. Police confiscated devices from the journalist’s home, but did not press charges.
At the same time, UK journalist Richard Medhurst was detained at London’s Heathrow Airport under the UK’s Terrorism Act allegedly over his coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza.
