The Zurich city councilor shoots a poster with a Christian motif with bullets from an air pistol – causing not only great outrage.
The most important in brief
The Swiss politician Sanija Ameti has caused a stir with her posts.
She is seen shooting a poster of Jesus and Mary with a gun.
The action has far-reaching consequences for the 32-year-old.
The Zurich city councilor Sanija Ameti has caused outrage in Switzerland by shooting at a poster with a Christian motif. The 32-year-old posted an auction poster of a 14th-century painting of Mary and Jesus, whose faces have been pierced by bullets from an air pistol. The politician from the Green Liberal Party (GLP) commented on the social media post with “Turn it off,” as reported by “Welt.”
Party exclusion and job loss
Although Ameti has since deleted the publication, the images were still available online days later and caused significant uproar. The city councilor has since apologized for her actions. On the platform X, she wrote: “I apologize to those who felt hurt by my contribution. I deleted it immediately when I recognized its religious content. I didn’t think about it.” She added: “I am infinitely sorry.”
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However, the apology did not change the far-reaching consequences for Ameti. The Zurich section of the Green Liberal Party announced, according to “Welt,” that they have initiated exclusion proceedings against the politician. The Farner Group, a consulting company where Ameti worked, also stated in an email that they were terminating her employment. Several criminal complaints against Ameti have also been reported, according to the Swiss newspaper “Blick.” The law graduate and gun enthusiast is reportedly now under police protection after receiving death threats.
Conservative circles on Ameti’s side
The Catholic Church in Switzerland also expressed outrage. On the website of the media center of the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland, kath.ch, it was stated that the action of the green-liberal politician offended the religious feelings of many Catholics, including those of bishops.
However, support came to Ameti from rather unexpected quarters. The right-wing conservative “Weltwoche” wrote, according to “Welt”: “With a single post on social media, the young politician has catapulted herself to the sidelines. She does not deserve a permanent ban. Those who run out of bounds should expect a free kick from the other team – and not a dismissal for life.”
Sources used:
“Welt”: “Swiss politician shoots at Mary-and-Jesus poster – and causes a storm of outrage”
“Spiegel”: “Zurich city councilor causes outrage with shots at Christian motif”