In an unprecedented move, the Swiss government has refused to grant an entry visa to Russian ultranationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
“This is the very first time Switzerland refuses to give a visa to such a high-ranking politician,” a government spokesman said of the rejection of the request by Zhirinovsky, who last year obtained a visa to enter Switzerland.
Last week, the German Embassy in Moscow refused a visa request for Zhirinovsky to visit Germany next month.
Zhirinovsky, who leads Russia’s nationalistic Liberal Democratic Party, has repeatedly made headlines with his anti-Semitic views and his calls to regain the former glory of the Russian empire.
Late last year, Zhirinovsky made waves by entering Austria and staying at an alpine resort with a friend who was a former member of the Nazi SS.
According to the daily newspaper Le Journal de Geneva, the Swiss government made the decision because of Zhirinovsky’s extreme right-wing views. The paper also stated that the decision by Swiss authorities marks a new direction in the government’s attitude toward those who openly espouse racist ideologies.
In September, Switzerland will hold a public referendum on whether to enact legislation that will make it a crime to discriminate against ethnic groups or incite racial hatred.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
