Online aggression seeps into Swiss local politics, study shows

Threats and insults are far from the exception for Swiss politicians, even at the most fact-to-face local level – but physical attacks remain rare. In Switzerland, with some 2,000 quite autonomous municipalities packed into a small country, local politics is a pillar of democracy. It’s also increasingly in need of new faces, willing to get involved without the perks and pay of professional politics. But while it doesn’t come with the glamour of higher levels, it does come with some of the drawbacks – including threats and aggression, according to a study published this week by the Aarau Centre for Democracy (ZDA). From a survey of 1,000 local parliamentarians, more than a third experienced verbal insults over the past 12 months, the ZDA writes. A further 6.4% reported attacks on their belongings, and 3% were victims of physical violence. Online aggression (31%) and targeted fake news (20%) were also common. Women were more likely to be affected by insults, while physical violence ...