Around 80.5 percent of asylum seekers from North African countries were accused of one or more offenses in Switzerland, underlining the massive amount of criminality present in this foreign population. The data comes from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).
For asylum seekers as a whole, the rate of criminality is much lower, with only 12.5 percent having been accused of one or more offenses. Nationals from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are therefore extremely overrepresented compared to other asylum seeker groups.
North Africans also have little chance of having their asylum applications accepted by Swiss authorities, with 99 percent of all applications rejected, according to Swiss newspaper Blick.
In 2024, a “24-hour” rule was introduced for accelerated asylum procedures for North African countries, which enables Swiss authorities to process asylum claims with a low chance of success more quickly. Applicants can still appeal the decisions, which can significantly increase delay in reaching a final decision.
“Criminals must leave Switzerland quickly. This is a priority of the asylum strategy,” said SEM spokesperson Daniel Bach.
However, the process is often delayed by the actions of asylum seekers, including refusing to provide fingerprints and failing to show up for deportation appointments.
Many applicants also obstruct the accelerated procedure: they refuse to provide their fingerprints, do not show up for appointments or quickly leave Switzerland. In these cases, their request can be filed without formalities.
Authorities are now working to implement new measures to quickly deport asylum seekers, including the “systematic use of coercive measures against the perpetrators of repeated offenses.” Authorities are also planning to introduce stricter rules for administrative detention.
The SEM also wants to increase cooperation with North African countries and recently signed an agreement with Morocco to accelerate the of asylum seekers ordered to be deported and help facilitate their return.
Da ich letzte Woche bereits beim Homeofffice von NuoViso über all die Themen gesprochen habe, die wir normalerweise bei Tacheles sprechen, haben wir Tacheles letzte Woche ausnahmsweise ausfallen lassen. Aber heute gibt es wieder eine aktuelle Folge von „Tacheles mit Röper und Stein“. Nächste Woche fällt Tacheles übrigens wieder aus, weil NuoViso sein jährliches Sommerfest […]
In July 2025, a protester shot a cop outside an ICE detention facility in North Texas. The federal government alleged the incident was the result of an “antifa” terrorist plot involving a network of friends and acquaintances united in leftist beliefs. The case that ensued was chilling:
It didn’t matter that little evidence of a premeditated attack on law enforcement ever emerged. It didn’t matter that every defendant, except the actual shooter, was exonerated of the original attempted murder charges. It didn’t even matter that prosecutors struggled to show the defendants belonged to an “antifa cell.” In the end, they convinced the jury that Batten and most of her co-defendants were guilty of rioting, conspiracy, using explosives, and supporting terrorists.
In a Fort Worth courtroom in June, a right-wing judge sentenced Batten to 50 years behind bars—a stark warning to others who might challenge the president’s agenda.
Als ich sah, dass westliche Medien berichten, in Russland würden die Menschen regelrecht die Banken stürmen, um ihre Konten zu plündern, weil sie befürchten würden, der Staat könnte die Gelder zur Finanzierung des Krieges einziehen, musste ich wegen dieser erneuten plumpen Propaganda laut lachen. Der Spiegel titelte beispielsweise „Angst vor Beschlagnahmung – Russen heben offenbar […]
Während deutsche Medien weiterhin behaupten, die Ukraine könne das Blatt im Krieg gegen Russland wenden, wird die Lage in der Ukraine immer verzweifelter, weil die Ukraine unter einem massiven Mangel an Abwehrraketen leidet und der Westen keinen Nachschub mehr liefert. Da man davon in deutschen Medien nur wenig erfährt, übersetze ich hier einen Artikel der […]
Die Ukraine ist vor einiger Zeit dazu übergegangen, nicht nur gezielt Wohngebäude in Russland anzugreifen, sondern auch zivile Busse und Züge. Davon konnte man manchmal sogar in deutschen Medien, wie dem Spiegel erfahren. Der Spiegel berichtete beispielsweise am 8. Juni, dass ukrainische Drohnen auf der Krim einen Passagierzug angegriffen haben. Am 17. Juni gab es […]
Die aktuellen Meldungen wären lustig, wenn sie nicht so ernst wären. Die EU hat beschlossen, gegenüber russischen Schiffen zu offener Piraterie überzugehen und sie produziert und finanziert die Drohnen, die Ziele tief in Russland angreifen, behauptet aber, keine Kriegspartei zu sein. Außerdem leidet die EU unter einer Energiekrise, die durch die Dürre erschwert wird, und […]
The latest poll shows that the current ruling coalition would lose power. The shape of the parliamentary majority would be decided by Grzegorz Braun, according to the latest poll from National Research Group.
“This is what it looks like here in August in the OGB study. So much has changed that almost nothing has changed. October 15 coalition without a majority, everything is decided by Braun. Support for Morawiecki’s party as in April, i.e. 5-6 percent. and all this is PiS voters,” pointed out the head of the polling firm, Łukasz Pawłowski.
The leader in the OGB ranking remains the Civic Coalition, which can count on 33.5 percent support, a decrease of as much as 5.4 percentage points. PiS is second in the poll with 22.3 percent, a decrease of 4.7 percentage points.
The right-wing Confederation can count on 15.8 percent. support, an increase of 4.1 percentage points. The party of Grzegorz Braun, Confederation of the Polish Crown, records 10.5 percent, an increase of 1.2 percentage points.
The New Left would also be included in the Sejm with support of 5.99 percent. (an increase of 0.8 percentage points) and Rozwój Plus. If former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had founded the party and run independently in the elections, he would have had a chance of winning 5.49 percent. support.
The Razem party (3.6 percent), PSL (1.7 percent) and Polska 2050 (0.9 percent) would fall below the electoral threshold.
Tak to wygląda u nas w sierpniu w badaniu @OGB_PL Tyle się zmieniło, by nie zmieniło się prawie nic. K15X bez większości, o wszystkim decyduje Braun. Poparcie dla partii Morawieckiego jak w kwietniu czyli 5-6% i to wszystko wyborcy PiS
If the poll support were translated into seats in the Sejm, the Civic Coalition would obtain 185 seats, Law and Justice 126, Confederation 79, Confederation of the Polish Crown 49, New Left 13, and Rozwój Plus eight.
This means that the current ruling coalition would not maintain power. Donald Tusk’s KO party and New Left would have a total of only 198 seats. For the right wing to take power, an alliance between Law and Justice would be needed not only with the Confederation of Sławomir Mentzen and Krzysztof Bosak, but also with Grzegorz Braun’s group. Such a majority would have 254 votes, and together with Mateusz Morawiecki’s formation, it would jump to 262.
There have been some calls to ban Braun’s party, but such a move would face high legal hurdles. Given its polling numbers, such an outcome seems unlikely. However, PiS has indicated they would refuse an alliance with the party, raising questions about how sincere that promise would be should Braun’s party remain the only path to political power.
The OGB survey was conducted between Aug. 5 and 12 based on 1,000 respondents.
Die Ukraine ist Ende letzten Jahres dazu übergegangen, im Schwarzen Meer zivile Handelsschiffe anzugreifen, wobei sie keinerlei Rücksicht auf die Herkunft der Schiffe nimmt. So hat die Ukraine in letzter Zeit sogar türkische Handelsschiffe angegriffen, was in der Türkei für Unmut sorgt, schließlich hat die Türkei immer wieder versucht, in dem Konflikt zu vermitteln und […]
Der Westen ist schon vor einiger Zeit zu offener Piraterie übergegangen. So hat Großbritannien beispielsweise schon 2019 einen iranischen Tanker gekapert, die USA haben 2021 iranische Tanker gekapert und seit 2022 kapern Länder der EU immer wieder Tanker mit russischem Öl. Als Vorwand für diese Piraterie nennen die Länder des Westens ihre Sanktionen, die sie […]
With no secondary school in the southern half of the Isle of Mull, children must leave home for the mainland at the age of eleven, living in a youth hostel during the school week. It’s a system that has existed for generations—but what does sending children away so young do to a community? Fernando Pinho gently follows the families who must navigate this rite of passage, and explores the political decisions that have kept this structure in place.
You know that Monday morning dread, she said, when you hate your job and you can’t face going back? The children get that on a Sunday.
Sunday is the day of washing, drying and ironing, because the clothes that came home on Friday have to be packed again for Monday. And then the bag sits at the bottom of the stairs. You come down, and you see it, she said, and it’s this little reminder of what’s coming.
Sometimes there’s an invitation, a barbecue at someone’s house, all of them welcome, just a couple of hours, you’ll be home in time. But her son doesn’t want to leave the house on a Sunday, and she won’t leave him. How do I say I can’t go, she told me.
Polish model Joanna Krupa, who currently resides in the United States, said she has no romantic relationship or ongoing contact with Polish lawmaker Dominik Tarczyński after paparazzi photos of the pair sparked speculation.
“I’ve seen this guy maybe three times in my life,” Krupa said in an interview with the Polish outlet Pudelek, later aired on the program Portret.
“I have no contact with him at all. The fact that I was at dinner with a group of friends, what does that mean? Nothing.”
Poland is much safer than the US, says Polish-American supermodel Joanna Krupa.
She directly refers to the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was killed by a career criminal with 14 convictions.
Paparazzi previously photographed Krupa embracing Tarczyński, a member of the European Parliament from Poland’s Law and Justice party. The images quickly fueled online rumors of an affair. Krupa had already addressed the speculation earlier, stressing there was no romantic involvement.
In the latest comments, she described Tarczyński as one of many acquaintances across the political spectrum.
“I have various colleagues who are on this or that side. I look at a person who is a good person,” she said. “Is Dominik a good man? I don’t know him closely enough to say if he’s a good person. The media made who knows what out of it.”
The conversation also touched on U.S. politics. Posts on Krupa’s Instagram had led some observers to believe she was closely aligned with President Donald Trump. However, she declined to take a firm position on the U.S. leader.
“Empathy? I don’t know if he has any empathy,” Krupa said. “Here, I won’t say I’m on his side or not. There were moments where, for example, he supported animals. When it comes to things like that, I agree.”
She described herself as an empath and said she does not see the same quality reflected in Trump’s broader approach, while noting agreement on animal-protection issues.
Am Dienstag war ich mal wieder im Homeoffice von NuoViso zu Gast und habe mich den Fragen von Frank Höfer, Robert Stein und der Zuschauer im Live-Chat gestellt. Da es dabei um die gleichen aktuellen Themen ging, über die wir auch bei Tacheles sprechen, könnte diese Ausgabe von Homeoffice diese Woche die Tacheles-Sendung ersetzt haben. […]
Die Medien werden die Dürre in Europa für die Ernteausfälle verantwortlich machen. Allerdings ist das nur die halbe Wahrheit, denn die Krise der europäischen Nahrungsmittelproduktion hat weit mehr Gründe, die die EU selbst verschuldet hat. Neben der ideologisch bedingten verfehlten Landwirtschaftspolitik sind das auch die Russland-Sanktionen, die gleich mehrfache Wirkung haben. So haben die Preise […]
Nearly two centuries ago, a strange hill rose above the flat landscape of London's East End. It stood high enough to appear on maps, serve as a landmark for travellers, and offer sweeping views across the city. Unlike most hills, Whitechapel Mount, as this hill was called, was almost certainly man-made. Yet, nobody is entirely sure how it came to be.
Was it a giant rubbish heap? A burial mound from one of London's deadly plague outbreaks? A remnant of Civil War fortifications? Or was it created from debris left behind by the Great Fire of London?
The answers remain uncertain, making Whitechapel Mount one of the most curious lost landmarks in the history of London.
Illustration of the Whitechapel Mount as it appeared on Illustrated London News, 28 April 1862. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
In deutschen Medien war der Drohnenvorfall am Flughafen Leipzig in dieser Woche eines der beherrschenden Themen, weshalb wir uns den Vorfall im Anti-Spiegel-Podcast näher angeschaut haben. Außerdem ging es natürlich wieder um die Ukraine, wo – unbeachtet von den deutschen Medien – der „Papp-Maidan“ stattfindet – und wir haben uns angeschaut, was die „Mekka-NATO“ ist. […]
Ich habe schon oft gesagt, dass jeder, der sich informieren will, deutsche Medien meiden muss, weil sie unglaublich viel verschweigen und ihr Publikum dumm halten. Britische und amerikanische Medien verbreiten ebenfalls viel Propaganda, aber sie informieren ihr Publikum trotzdem viel besser als die deutschen Medien. Dass deutsche Medien seit Monaten behaupten, die Ukraine sei dabei, […]
Auf dem Leipziger Flughafen hat ein Busfahrer in der Nacht zum 5. August in der Nähe einer ukrainischen Frachtmaschine eine mit Sprengstoff beladene Drohne unschädlich gemacht und Politik und Medien in Deutschland sind im Panikmodus. Der neu eingerichtete Nationale Sicherheitsrat tagte in einer Sondersitzung, der Bundesinnenminister ist aus dem Urlaub mach Leipzig geeilt und die […]
Diese Woche war Tacheles mit Röper und Stein mal wieder sehr „Ukraine-lastig“, aber es gab auch noch einige andere spannende Themen. Sollte YouTube die Sendung löschen, finden Sie sie auch hier bei NuoViso.
European Union countries are rushing to find a joint response to threats by US President Donald Trump to impose an additional 10-percent tariff on goods from several European allies from February 1.
EU leaders are set to meet in Brussels on Thursday after Trump threatened that eight European countries would face higher tariffs until the United States secures what he described as the “complete and total purchase” of Greenland.
The US repeatedly said it wants the mineral-rich autonomous Danish territory of Greenland for “national security”, despite it already having a base on the island and long established security agreements with fellow NATO ally Denmark, which has controlled the Arctic island for about 300 years.
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom recently sent a small number of soldiers on a reconnaissance mission to Greenland as a sign of solidarity with Denmark, which is pushing back against Trump’s takeover ambitions.
“We won’t be blackmailed, and we stand together in solidarity in Europe,” said German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, arriving in Brussels on Monday for two days of previously planned talks with his EU counterparts. “We don’t want an escalation. We are not looking for an escalation, but we are ready if it comes,” Klingbeil said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – considered one of Trump’s few allies in the EU – has called the new tariff threat a “mistake”.
In a different threat scenario, Trump also ramped up his rhetoric against France on Tuesday, warning he would impose 200 percent tariffs on French wine and champagne over its intentions to decline his invitation to join his “Board of Peace” set up to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza.
French President Emmanuel Macron said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos (Switzerland) on Tuesday: “What doesn’t make sense is to have tariffs between allies. We have to fix the war in Ukraine, we have to help the Ukrainians resist, and find a sustainable peace.”
Macron called the possibility of potentially activating the Anti-Coercion Instrument against the US “crazy” and added: “I do regret that. But this is a consequence of just unpredictability and useless aggressivity.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned Trump not to plunge transatlantic relations into a dangerous downward spiral over Greenland. “This is why the proposed additional tariffs are a mistake, especially between long-standing allies,” she said in Davos.
Arctic security can only be achieved together.
This is why the proposed additional tariffs are a mistake, especially between long-standing allies.
The EU and US have agreed to a trade deal last July.
Washington mayhem tests transatlantic alliance and post-WWII order
The leader of global rights group Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard,urged European countries Monday to stop “appeasing” Trump and to resist him and other “bullies” who she said were intent on destroying the rules-based order in place since World War II.
Since Trump’s return to the White House a year ago, he has taken “a range of decisions that have led to the demise of many rules around the world”, while Russia was destroying the system “through its aggression in Ukraine”, the human rights organisation’s secretary general told AFP in an interview in Davos.
The post-WWII order “is also being destroyed by Israel that has completely ignored international law in its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza”, she added.
Furthermore, European powers have been treading a thin line over Ukraine in recent months, relying on Washington to try to help settle the conflict but resisting terms too favourable to Moscow.
Trump meanwhile has put the transatlantic alliance to the test with threats to take over Greenland “one way or the other”, as European countries close ranks against Washington’s designs on the vast Danish autonomous territory.
In a message to Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Trump said “I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace”, citing his failure to win last year’s Nobel Peace Prize despite openly coveting it. He said although peace would still be “predominant”, he could “now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America”.
Store said in a statement: “I have clearly explained, including to President Trump, what is well known – the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee”, not the Norwegian government.
Danish soldiers disembark at the port of Nuuk. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix Photo/AP/dpa
NATO ramps up Greenland presence amid search for unity
Amid the global tensions, Denmark is proposing that NATO start surveillance operations in Greenland, with the support of the Arctic island, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Monday after meeting NATO’s chief Mark Rutte. The precise details of the proposal and the response from Rutteremain unknown.
While a number of NATO allies have sent troops to Greenland or have announced plans to do so despite the risk of additional US tariffs being imposed on them, others remain reluctant and divided over the move.
Belgium is sending a liaison officer to Greenland. Despite this decision, the country was not included on Trump’s list of sanctioned countries on Saturday. “But there is no guarantee that this will not be the case in the future and we must show solidarity with our colleagues”, Foreign minister Maxime Prévot said. He called the American measures “incomprehensible and unnecessarily hostile”.
Likewise, Slovenia on Saturday announced it would deploy two Armed Forces officers to Greenland to take part in the planning and implementation of the Danish-led international military exercise Arctic Endurance.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk – whose country is a staunch NATO ally with the highest defence expenditure as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) in the EU – already said last week the country was “not planning to send Polish soldiers to Greenland”.
Contrary to false claims on social media that Germany had sent warships to Greenland, the country did send 15 soldiers to the island for a reconnaissance mission. The troops however left Greenland on Sunday after the mission was completed on schedule, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Spain has not announced plans to participate in the mission in Greenland. Defence Minister Margarita Robles however said recently that the country could join the group in the future.
At the same time, some NATO allies are still navigating how the Greenland dispute plays out in their domestic political debates.
Asked on Monday whether the government of the Czech Republic supports Greenland, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said he could not give a clear answer. He added that the United States is the leader of NATO and that conflicts are counterproductive. “We definitely prefer that an agreement be reached within the alliance. It would be very unfortunate if there were to be any conflicts,” Babiš said.
In Bulgaria, political reactions are mixed. The outgoing government has not issued a position on the recent developments around Greenland, but reactions from parliament have begun to emerge.
On the one hand, the leader of Continue the Change – a party affiliated at European level with Renew Europe – Assen Vassilev, said that every country should have the right to determine its own future, rather than having its choices dictated by external powers.
On the other hand, Revival (Vazrazhdane) – whose MEPs sit with the Europe of Sovereign Nations Group in the European Parliament – backs the US claims over Greenland. Party leader Kostadin Kostadinov reiterated the party’s call for Bulgaria to withdraw from NATO and argued that tensions between Washington and Copenhagen expose deeper structural problems within both NATO and the European Union.
Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said “Slovakia considers Greenland to be part of Denmark”. He rejected tariff battles between states: “We prefer diplomacy and peace, not tension or fighting,” he said.
EU “trade bazooka” on standby
EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday to discuss a coordinated response to the prospect of US tariffs – with its most powerful trade tool on the table.
The Anti-Coercion Instrument, a mechanism adopted in 2023, that can be used in cases of economic coercion when a non-EU country attempts to pressure the bloc or one of its 27 members into making a decision through trade restrictions.
Such practices “unduly interfere with the legitimate sovereign choices of the European Union and its member states”, the European Commission says on its website.
France had signalled its intention to request the activation of the instrument after Trump announced on Saturday that he would impose additional tariffs on the eight NATO allies.
To apply the instrument, the European Commission first has to examine whether economic coercion is present in the case. EU countries must then back the Commission’s conclusion, before the EU’s executive arm ideally enters into talks with the country. If these are unsuccessful, the EU can impose countermeasures.
Retaliatory measures under the ACI however are only a last resort and must be proportionate. Using it against the United States would be ”the very first time” the EU has ever applied the tool, Macron recalled in Davos on Tuesday.
Should the ACI be applied over Trump’s latest trade threats, retaliatory tariffs on imports of US goods are likely. The EU-US tariff agreement concluded in July could also be put on hold.
Under discussion is also the possibility of imposing additional tariffs on a list of goods with a total trade volume of 93 billion Euro (108 billion Dollar), including industrial and agricultural goods such as motorcycles, beef, whiskey and citrus fruits.
This article is an ENR Key Story. The content is based on information published by ENR participating agencies.
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