1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,507 2 00:00:01,507 --> 00:00:10,022 On September 27, 2026, the Swiss people will vote on an initiative that will have major 3 00:00:10,022 --> 00:00:15,723 implications even beyond Switzerland’s borders: 4 00:00:15,723 --> 00:00:23,567 The Neutrality Initiative aims to define how Swiss neutrality will be interpreted in the future, as the 5 00:00:23,567 --> 00:00:32,414 initiative’s proponents believe that neutrality has been increasingly diluted and eroded in recent years. 6 00:00:32,414 --> 00:00:40,776 According to Walter Wobmann, the president of the initiative committee, neutrality does not only protect Switzerland. 7 00:00:40,776 --> 00:00:48,777 It also serves as the foundation of Switzerland's global peace policy and makes it possible to conduct 8 00:00:48,777 --> 00:00:54,492 peace negotiations, act as a mediator, and provide aid. 9 00:00:54,492 --> 00:01:03,028 Georges Martin, a former Swiss diplomat, explains the significant mediation efforts Switzerland was 10 00:01:03,028 --> 00:01:08,488 able to carry out during his tenure from 1980 to 2017: 11 00:01:08,488 --> 00:01:13,512 "Switzerland's foreign policy has always been one of neutrality. 12 00:01:13,512 --> 00:01:22,293 What does that mean? Countries that were having problems with each other came to us and asked if they could help. 13 00:01:22,293 --> 00:01:28,099 There have been numerous examples in Africa—Chad, Mali, etc. 14 00:01:28,099 --> 00:01:35,576 When I was in Indonesia, the Indonesians viewed Switzerland as the epitome of neutrality. 15 00:01:35,576 --> 00:01:43,516 In Aceh, Indonesia, we helped bring an end to the 30-year civil war following the tsunami. 16 00:01:43,516 --> 00:01:48,524 Switzerland played a helpful role in the Iranian nuclear talks in Geneva. 17 00:01:48,524 --> 00:01:54,722 The Lebanon talks took place in Switzerland and with Swiss assistance. 18 00:01:54,722 --> 00:02:03,011 Switzerland also supported the negotiations in Colombia between the FARC guerrilla group and the government. 19 00:02:03,011 --> 00:02:13,397 After the war between Russia and Georgia, we represented Russian interests in Tbilisi and Georgian interests in Moscow. 20 00:02:13,397 --> 00:02:17,983 There isn't a single continent where we haven't been active. 21 00:02:17,983 --> 00:02:28,235 "Hardly a week went by without reports on Switzerland's activities regarding peace and peace negotiations." 22 00:02:28,235 --> 00:02:35,129 Georges Martin points out that there are not many Western countries left that are still neutral. 23 00:02:35,129 --> 00:02:40,766 Therefore, it is Switzerland's responsibility to show courage in this regard and to keep bringing up 24 00:02:40,766 --> 00:02:44,967 the topics of negotiations, peace, and human rights. 25 00:02:44,967 --> 00:02:55,250 Swiss political scientist and lawyer Prof. Wolf Linder, along with other left-wing and Green voices, is campaigning for 26 00:02:55,250 --> 00:03:00,672 the neutrality initiative on the website swissneutralitynow.ch. 27 00:03:00,672 --> 00:03:06,643 He says: “In my view, neutrality should not be defined merely as a Swiss principle, but as a 28 00:03:06,643 --> 00:03:10,265 guiding principle for foreign policy worldwide. 29 00:03:10,265 --> 00:03:19,200 "And this time, a neutral stance is important not only for Switzerland, but probably for the whole world as well." 30 00:03:20,914 --> 00:03:28,897 Helmut Scheben, a former editor of the left-wing weekly newspaper WOZ and a longtime reporter and news anchor 31 00:03:28,897 --> 00:03:36,341 for Swiss television SRF, also commented on the neutrality initiative in a short video. 32 00:03:36,341 --> 00:03:45,076 In it, he analyzes several statements made at the "No" Committee's press conference by representatives of the FDP, 33 00:03:45,076 --> 00:03:50,759 Die Mitte, and the SP, and points out their contradictions. 34 00:03:50,759 --> 00:03:52,845 Scheben speaks plainly: 35 00:03:52,845 --> 00:04:01,715 Switzerland's tradition and its role as a model neutral country have long since been broken—specifically since 36 00:04:01,715 --> 00:04:10,263 February 2022, when Switzerland adopted the EU's sanctions against Russia with immediate effect. 37 00:04:10,263 --> 00:04:20,172 This has shown the whole world which side Switzerland is on and that it is participating in this war against Russia. 38 00:04:20,172 --> 00:04:28,909 In his view, the so-called peace conference at Bürgenstock, which Switzerland organized, is further evidence of this. 39 00:04:28,909 --> 00:04:32,347 Russia did not participate in it at all. 40 00:04:32,347 --> 00:04:37,216 "What kind of farce is this?" Scheben asks. 41 00:04:37,216 --> 00:04:47,710 Watch the full video below, in which Helmut Scheben critically analyzes and dissects the "No" Committee's press conference. 42 00:04:47,710 --> 00:04:54,556 The video was kindly provided to Kla.TV by Transition TV (TTV). 43 00:04:54,556 --> 00:04:57,814 Help put an end to this "farce": 44 00:04:57,814 --> 00:05:06,690 Share this broadcast and support credible Swiss neutrality—by voting a clear “Yes” on the 45 00:05:06,690 --> 00:05:12,678 Neutrality Initiative on September 27, 2026! 46 00:05:16,655 --> 00:05:22,084 This statement by Ms. Schönenberger is almost reminiscent of George Orwell and 47 00:05:22,084 --> 00:05:26,006 “Newspeak,” where reality is simply turned upside down. 48 00:05:26,006 --> 00:05:31,149 It is said that the neutrality initiative represents a break with our tradition. 49 00:05:31,149 --> 00:05:32,899 In fact, the exact opposite is true. 50 00:05:32,899 --> 00:05:35,961 We broke with that tradition a long time ago. 51 00:05:35,961 --> 00:05:43,660 We organized a peace conference on the Bürgenstock—a so-called peace conference—in which Russia did not participate at all. 52 00:05:43,660 --> 00:05:50,785 What kind of farce are we putting on here? This is unbelievable. 53 00:05:54,222 --> 00:06:05,375 My name is Helmut Scheben. I grew up in Germany, where I studied Romance languages and literature and earned my doctorate. 54 00:06:05,375 --> 00:06:14,113 After that, I worked in Latin America for a long time and, if I remember correctly, came to Switzerland in 1985. 55 00:06:14,113 --> 00:06:20,899 I first worked at the left-leaning weekly newspaper “WOZ,” and then spent nearly 20 years at Swiss 56 00:06:20,899 --> 00:06:26,200 Television, most of that time on the “Tagesschau” news program. 57 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:31,177 Today I would like to refer to the press conference held on August 17. 58 00:06:31,177 --> 00:06:37,704 Let's take a look at some of the things that were said. 59 00:06:37,704 --> 00:06:43,501 The proponents are selling their initiative as a contribution to our safety. 60 00:06:43,501 --> 00:06:51,777 They claim that a particularly strict interpretation of neutrality protects us from being drawn into military conflicts. 61 00:06:51,777 --> 00:07:01,372 That is incorrect. First, Switzerland is neutral today and does not participate in the military conflicts of other countries. 62 00:07:01,372 --> 00:07:05,630 Whether the initiative passes or not, that won't change a thing. 63 00:07:05,630 --> 00:07:12,036 So the initiative offers no additional protection against being drawn into wars—not a single bit. 64 00:07:12,036 --> 00:07:15,356 That is an outrageous claim. 65 00:07:15,356 --> 00:07:22,600 Switzerland renounced its neutrality in February 2022. 66 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:31,550 Together with the United States and the European Union, it has allied itself with Ukraine and 67 00:07:31,550 --> 00:07:37,573 imposed sanctions—economic sanctions—to harm Russia. 68 00:07:37,573 --> 00:07:44,220 So there is absolutely no question of Switzerland remaining as neutral as it has always been. 69 00:07:44,220 --> 00:07:49,830 The Neutrality Initiative claims that it protects us from getting involved in wars. 70 00:07:49,830 --> 00:07:52,900 And that's absolutely true. 71 00:07:52,900 --> 00:08:06,578 The Research Service of the U.S. Congress conducted a study in which it found that, since 1990, 72 00:08:06,578 --> 00:08:14,812 the United States has been involved in 251 wars. 73 00:08:14,812 --> 00:08:20,156 251 wars from 1990 or 1991 to the present. 74 00:08:20,156 --> 00:08:27,620 In many cases, NATO was involved in these wars, providing personnel and weapons. 75 00:08:27,620 --> 00:08:41,740 So it is now incredibly naive to believe that intensifying cooperation with NATO would not draw Switzerland into such wars. 76 00:08:41,740 --> 00:08:48,620 The U.S. and NATO have been at war continuously since the collapse of the Soviet Union. 77 00:08:48,620 --> 00:08:57,690 And since February 2022, Switzerland has been involved in these wars that the EU and NATO are 78 00:08:57,690 --> 00:09:03,831 waging against Russia alongside the government in Kyiv. 79 00:09:03,831 --> 00:09:11,557 NATO is heavily involved in these wars—both in terms of personnel and through the supply of weapons and 80 00:09:11,557 --> 00:09:17,201 equipment—even though this has not been formally declared. 81 00:09:17,201 --> 00:09:21,115 Are we still neutral? No, we are no longer neutral. 82 00:09:21,115 --> 00:09:30,148 The Russian foreign minister has stated, “Switzerland has abandoned its neutrality and has become an enemy of Russia.” 83 00:09:30,148 --> 00:09:39,134 And U.S. President Joe Biden stated at the time, “Even Switzerland is participating; even Switzerland is 84 00:09:39,134 --> 00:09:44,372 joining in on these economic sanctions against Russia.” 85 00:09:44,372 --> 00:09:53,527 The initiative is a direct response to Switzerland's decision in 2022 to adopt sanctions against Russia and the Putin 86 00:09:53,527 --> 00:10:02,242 regime after the brutal attack on Ukraine—which violated international law—had reached its full scale. 87 00:10:02,242 --> 00:10:09,317 So what is being sold to us here as timeless neutrality is, in reality, an attempt not to 88 00:10:09,317 --> 00:10:13,690 protect the victim, but to protect the aggressor. 89 00:10:13,690 --> 00:10:20,138 As we all know, anyone who treats the attacker and the victim the same is not neutral. 90 00:10:20,138 --> 00:10:25,084 He sides with the stronger party and against what is right. 91 00:10:25,084 --> 00:10:31,209 That sounds very nice. A moral stance. 92 00:10:31,209 --> 00:10:36,212 But it is a moral stance that is nothing more than a bubble. 93 00:10:36,212 --> 00:10:46,723 And that bubble bursts the moment you take a closer look and have even the slightest knowledge of history. 94 00:10:46,723 --> 00:10:49,559 The major powers wage wars. 95 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:56,279 And they wage these wars without regard for international law, the UN Charter, and so on, whenever 96 00:10:56,279 --> 00:11:00,141 they perceive their vital interests to be at stake. 97 00:11:00,141 --> 00:11:08,690 Major powers such as Russia, China, and the United States wage wars in which the rules of international law do not apply, and 98 00:11:08,690 --> 00:11:15,187 there is absolutely no point in Switzerland standing up and saying, “We insist on international 99 00:11:15,187 --> 00:11:19,168 law, and we want to punish everyone who violates it.” 100 00:11:19,168 --> 00:11:24,739 That's a stance you could almost call megalomaniacal. 101 00:11:24,739 --> 00:11:30,014 Foreign Minister Cassis said, “If rules are broken, if not everyone is willing to 102 00:11:30,014 --> 00:11:34,124 follow the rules, then we must take action.” 103 00:11:34,124 --> 00:11:39,246 However, Switzerland is completely unable to act when major powers are at war. 104 00:11:39,246 --> 00:11:50,437 This applies from Vietnam to Afghanistan to Iraq, from the Balkans to the war in Iran, which is taking place right now. 105 00:11:50,437 --> 00:11:57,116 Has Switzerland punished the aggressor—the so-called aggressor—in every such case? 106 00:11:57,116 --> 00:12:05,333 Did Switzerland take action against American businesspeople with close ties to the government whose assets were 107 00:12:05,333 --> 00:12:12,791 frozen in Swiss accounts when the U.S. attacked Iraq in 2003 in violation of international law? 108 00:12:12,791 --> 00:12:16,608 Did Switzerland try to determine who the aggressor was during the Vietnam War? 109 00:12:16,608 --> 00:12:21,630 What was the U.S. Army doing in Vietnam, anyway? 110 00:12:21,630 --> 00:12:25,099 Did Switzerland punish the aggressor in Afghanistan? 111 00:12:25,099 --> 00:12:28,672 What was NATO doing in Afghanistan, anyway? 112 00:12:28,672 --> 00:12:33,508 And in the Balkans, what about the attack on Serbia, which violated international law? 113 00:12:33,508 --> 00:12:41,457 It is utter hypocrisy to claim that we must support Russia—Russia has attacked Ukraine in 114 00:12:41,457 --> 00:12:46,159 violation of international law; that is true. 115 00:12:46,159 --> 00:12:56,266 – But it’s completely absurd to claim that we have to punish Russia; in all the other major wars that the great powers have 116 00:12:56,266 --> 00:13:02,154 waged, we haven’t taken action, and we can’t take action anyway. 117 00:13:02,154 --> 00:13:10,906 This so-called neutrality initiative weakens Switzerland; it weakens our country. 118 00:13:10,906 --> 00:13:20,857 It represents a clear, dangerous, and serious breach of our neutrality—which we have upheld for 119 00:13:20,857 --> 00:13:28,214 centuries—as well as of our understanding of neutrality. 120 00:13:28,214 --> 00:13:37,115 It actually jeopardizes our security. And ultimately, this initiative undermines our ability to act because 121 00:13:37,115 --> 00:13:46,120 it forces us into a rigid framework and dictates today how we will be allowed to act in the future. 122 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:54,511 Yes, of course this neutrality initiative is forcing us into a straitjacket. 123 00:13:54,511 --> 00:13:58,065 The Criminal Code, too, is a straitjacket. 124 00:13:58,065 --> 00:14:01,105 The Swiss Constitution, too, is a straitjacket. 125 00:14:01,105 --> 00:14:10,771 It sets out what we consider reasonable and what is in Switzerland's best interest. 126 00:14:10,771 --> 00:14:17,040 This statement by Ms. Schönenberger is almost reminiscent of George Orwell and 127 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:21,656 "Newspeak," where reality is simply turned on its head. 128 00:14:21,656 --> 00:14:27,187 It is said that the neutrality initiative represents a break with our tradition. 129 00:14:27,187 --> 00:14:28,914 In fact, the exact opposite is true. 130 00:14:28,914 --> 00:14:35,994 We broke with this tradition long ago—in February 2022, to be precise—when we 131 00:14:35,994 --> 00:14:41,480 immediately implemented the sanctions against Russia. 132 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:47,466 It almost has—if you'll pardon the expression—an erotic quality to it. 133 00:14:47,466 --> 00:14:55,685 The way our foreign minister hugged President Zelenskyy at Kloten Airport. 134 00:14:55,685 --> 00:15:02,305 We've shown the whole world which side we're on—that we're participating in this war against Russia. 135 00:15:02,305 --> 00:15:10,980 We organized a peace conference at Bürgenstock—a so-called peace conference—in which Russia did not participate at all. 136 00:15:10,980 --> 00:15:16,980 What kind of farce are we putting on here? It's unbelievable. 137 00:15:16,980 --> 00:15:22,613 People keep talking about our safety. Our safety is at risk. 138 00:15:22,613 --> 00:15:28,475 All four of Switzerland's major media conglomerates are pushing the same narrative. 139 00:15:28,475 --> 00:15:34,874 Our security is at risk because the Russians are going to attack us. 140 00:15:34,874 --> 00:15:41,595 Defense Minister Pfister has said that we must prepare for a war in the near future. 141 00:15:41,595 --> 00:15:50,790 The EU—the European Union in Brussels—has officially stated that it expects a war against Russia by 2029/30 at the latest. 142 00:15:50,790 --> 00:15:56,820 It seems our NATO allies want to get involved. 143 00:15:56,820 --> 00:16:04,900 Security—this narrative that “our security is at risk”—dates back to the beginning of the Cold War. 144 00:16:04,900 --> 00:16:19,370 That is an ideological belief being spread that is extremely effective in terms of mass psychology. 145 00:16:19,370 --> 00:16:21,310 Namely, the domino theory. 146 00:16:21,310 --> 00:16:28,708 You remember, in Vietnam: “If Vietnam isn’t held, all of Asia will become communist.” “ 147 00:16:28,708 --> 00:16:34,935 "If Nicaragua isn't held in check"—under the Ronald Reagan administration—"then Guatemala, Honduras, and 148 00:16:34,935 --> 00:16:41,837 Mexico will fall, and the communists—the Soviet Union—will be right on the southern border of the U.S." " 149 00:16:41,837 --> 00:16:50,240 "If we don't attack Iraq, Saddam Hussein will attack us with his ABC weapons." 150 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:58,225 This is an extremely effective psychological mechanism that is constantly repeated and constantly reinvigorated. ‘ 151 00:16:58,225 --> 00:17:04,675 "If we don't hold Ukraine, Putin will first overrun the Baltic states, then Poland, and before 152 00:17:04,675 --> 00:17:08,423 long Russian tanks will be at Lake Constance." 153 00:17:08,423 --> 00:17:19,297 It's always the same tactic of creating an extreme enemy stereotype that must be drummed into people's 154 00:17:19,297 --> 00:17:25,489 heads so that they will agree to participate in a war. 155 00:17:25,489 --> 00:17:31,116 The public—and parliaments as well—must be convinced that an evil enemy is threatening us, 156 00:17:31,116 --> 00:17:34,376 because only then can the arms trade thrive. 157 00:17:34,376 --> 00:17:39,891 The arms buildup currently underway in Europe, in Brussels, and in Berlin borders on madness. 158 00:17:39,891 --> 00:17:44,227 Debt is piling up as if there were no tomorrow. 159 00:17:44,227 --> 00:17:52,300 That's unbelievable. And our NATO allies apparently want to step up their cooperation with NATO. 160 00:17:52,300 --> 00:17:59,230 That is exactly what Defense Minister Viola Amherd said in 2024. 161 00:17:59,230 --> 00:18:04,877 And Martin Pfister says we need to prepare for a war that will break out soon. 162 00:18:04,877 --> 00:18:14,822 How naive can one be to believe that, if we move closer to NATO, we won't be dragged into these wars? 163 00:18:14,822 --> 00:18:22,550 We are being drawn into this, and the Neutrality Initiative is the only way to ensure that 164 00:18:22,550 --> 00:18:26,005 this does not happen, that it does not occur.