Skeptics have already received over 14,000 criminal charges
Illegal demonstrations and events, non-compliance with the obligation to wear a mask, resistance to police officers and staff in public transport: the list of offenses and criminal offenses since the outbreak of the corona pandemic is long. Although the cantons emphasize that they proceed with a sense of proportion when reports are reported, according to a national survey by Blick, 14’031 criminal charges have been reported since March 2020.
And the picture is still incomplete: No figures are available for the two cantons of Bern and Vaud, Lucerne and Baselland only provide the figures from last year (see graphic). In addition, 745 other pending proceedings are reported nationwide.
However, it is not possible to make a flat-rate statement about the amount of the buses and fees. The cantons levy different fees for penalty orders – and the fine depends on the severity of the offense.
“Just send the penalty order back!”
Many of the advertisements can be traced back to a few occasions. For example, the St. Gallen public prosecutor’s office issued 27 penal orders against people who took part in an event organized by corona skeptics in the Älpli restaurant in Gommiswald SG in March of this year (Blick reported). The proceedings against the hosts and organizers are not even included.
Of the 105 convictions that the St. Gallen judiciary issued this year, a third can be attributed to the Skeptiker-Beiz in Gommiswald. “Just send the penalty order back and raise an objection. Nothing can happen to you. Nothing at all! », Says one of the speakers at the illegal Älpli conference, which was filmed by participants and made a significant contribution to their identification.
Corona skeptics work with objections in the courts
Many Corona skeptics are absolutely convinced that the authorities lack a legal basis for their actions. Several cantons feel this in the form of a flood of objections: “It is noticeable that violations of the obligation to wear a face mask are received and are often held onto, while the violations of the reporting obligations after returning from a risk area in autumn 2020 rarely led to objections, “says Patrick Fluri, Glarus’ first public prosecutor, to Blick.
It also catches the eye: Geneva leads the statistics by a large margin. 6,206 penal orders were issued last, and 2,359 fines were also issued. When asked by the Geneva authorities, there was no particular reason for this. One is only trying to consistently implement the Corona regulations.
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Geneva takes action, Uri exercises restraint
Other cantons are obviously taking less harsh action. So Uri has only sent nine penal orders since the beginning of the pandemic, although the police even had to use pepper spray in clashes at a corona demo in Altdorf.
Often violations are obviously resolved unbureaucratically and directly with instructions and buses on site. According to figures from “Switzerland at the weekend”, there are around 30,000 fines nationwide in addition to the more than 14,000 reports. In addition, over 150 companies have since been closed by the authorities.
According to feedback from all cantons, the vote on the Covid Act did not increase the numbers. On the contrary: practically everywhere, more violations were punished in 2020 than this year.
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