US Expat Protest Group Challenges Bannon In Zurich

An American expatriate group protesting over USA lawmakers’ lack of interest in gun control made their voices heard in Zurich during Steve Bannon’s visit.

As if the visit by the ultra-right wing ex-White House chief strategist wasn’t controversial enough, the small but effective expat demonstration outside the venue for his speech made it clear his views on gun control weren’t welcome in Switzerland. Bannon has traditionally taken a stand against any form of gun control, even after the latest murder of 17 students at a Florida school.

The newly-formed Action Together campaign group is turning Bannon’s visit upside down by raising funds for the US- based Everytown for Gun Safety organisation. The US campaign group’s online fundraising site, entitled, ‘Don’t Hate, Donate’, was inspired by a 2014 event in Germany, at which a fundraising march organised by a Neo-Nazi group was hijacked by anti-fascist campaigners.

Action Together’s spokesperson Erin Zimmerman told local media the group wanted to poke fun at Bannon as well as to negate his fear-mongering rhetoric, thus showing the occasion was actually an opportunity for those against gun violence to come together. The group hopes their demo against Bannon will encourage donations to further its activities supporting causes hated by the ex-White House senior advisor.

Former Colorado police officer Zimmerman, now resident in Switzerland, believes the USA could well learn a lot from other countries’ attitudes towards gun control. Switzerland, she says, isn’t; the best in the world as regards strict controls, but gets it right and in balance with its citizens, although there are major mentality differences between the two countries.