SwissCommunity ELENA LACROIX JAEGGY, FRANCE/SWITZERLAND Mountain bikes on forest paths and motorbikes everywhere have become a scourge all over Switzerland. An enormous amount of information and awareness-raising work is required, including bans when necessary, to bring an end to this problem. They pose an ongoing danger for all animals and biodiversity in general, not to mention causing an ecological catastrophe and constant noise. It is absolutely imperative that we stop this devastating trend, which offers no actual benefits at all. Ban on Nazi symbols in Switzerland RALF WEYENETH, LOWER SAXONY, GERMANY It is incomprehensible to me that there are still incorrigible people around today who have learned nothing from the past. The symbols and salutes used during the Nazi era should really be punishable by law. We only need to look at the USA to see where such practices can lead, but unfortunately they are on the way to becoming the norm in Europe as well these days. SERGIO PAINI, AUSTRALIA How much longer do we have to "educate" people about what was done to the Jewish population during the Second World War? There is no place anywhere for anti-Semitism. My best friend, the forest RICHARD JAKOB-HOFF, NEW ZEALAND Thank you for sharing this article. My love and spiritual connection with forests began in my early childhood in Switzerland. In the forests in and around my birthplace, Wengen, and later Visp. I find them a place of solace wherever I am in the world and am alarmed and dismayed at the disrespect shown by my species to these guardians of global health and human welfare. I was not aware that Switzerland had banned deforestation well over a century ago. This is something that should be more widely known as an example to others. LOTTI MOHAR, AURORA, CANADA Reading the report on forests really warmed my heart. Lovely memories come flooding back from 30 years ago. How many times did I accompany my father to the Dählhölzli forest, all the way down to the River Aare, where we also dropped by to see the zoo animals? I will never forget those special moments from my childhood. MARIA CHAND, PARKSVILLE, CANADA A law dating back to 1876 that is still protecting forests today. What a gift for the planet and all the species on it. A warm welcome for Ukrainian refugees ARYE-ISAAC OPHIR, ISRAEL There are good reasons to welcome the Ukrainian refugees. On the one hand, because our own humanity demands it of us, and on the other because it also offers us an opportunity to introduce them to the norms of western civilisation, in the hope of positively influencing the future development of Ukraine. A new look for “Swiss Review” KATRIN BONNOFSKY, SEATTLE, USA Your redesigned magazine is terrific. Much better organised. Everything clear and coherent. Thank you. I wish you continued success. Each edition of “Swiss Review” touches on aspects of everyday life in Switzerland. And each edition turns into a veritable guessing game for the editorial team as we ask ourselves which article will elicit the liveliest reaction from readers. In our 3/2022 magazine, it was a report about Swiss forests. Reading the article, many people realised for the first time that Switzerland has had a ban on deforestation since 1876, and that since then, the surface area of Swiss forests has not decreased at all in size. Radical nature conservation practices – begun almost 150 years ago. Discussion You can view our online edition of “Swiss Review” – www.revue.ch – at any time and comment on articles or read the latest comments. Moreover, you can participate in the ongoing discussions on the Community platform of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) or start your own dialogues. At the moment, the platform has three discussions on the go relating to the topic of “the challenges facing democracy”, which is also this year’s theme at the Congress of the Swiss Abroad in Lugano. One discussion focuses on the question “How can we tackle ‘fake news’?” Below is one of the related comments: HANS ULRICH LUTZ, SOUTH KOREA We are proud to be citizens of a country with direct democracy; one that considers us mature enough to decide on important matters. However, when our citizens are not/no longer capable of such decisions because they appear to be easily manipulated, would the next logical step perhaps be to limit their democratic rights and obligations? I tend to believe that we must invest a great deal more in equipping our children to think and act independently. I am confident that my fellow citizens are still able to form their own opinions. Direct link to the discussion: revue.link/fake Link to the SwissCommunity discussion forum: members.swisscommunity.org/forum 39 Swiss Review / August 2022 / No.4
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