Group for a Switzerland without an Army
- Group for a Switzerland without an Army
The Group for a Switzerland without an Army (GSwA; German: Gruppe für eine Schweiz ohne Armee, GSoA; French: Groupe pour une Suisse sans Armée, GSsA
Presentation
The Group was created in Solothurn on 12 September 1982 by around 100 people, and has grown to approximately 25,000 members, consisting largely of pacifists. The group is politically active and spreads awareness of its cause in several ways:
*practical information, such as the alternative of Swiss Civilian Service, often opted for by conscientious objectors
*legal information
*news, covering subjects such as equipment sales
Currently, the group focuses on the following topics:
*Opposition against arms trade: In 2007, the group filed enough signatures for a national initiative against arms trade. The Swiss will vote in a referendum on an amendment to the constitution that would ban the export of any weapon from Switzerland. This national referendum will be held in 2009 or 2010.
*Opposition to arms procurements, for example against the fighter jets which the Swiss army is about to purchase.
*Constant criticism of Switzerland militaristic traditions.
Initiatives and referendums
In early 1986, the group launched its first initiative, named "Für eine Schweiz ohne Armee und für eine umfassende Friedenspolitik" ("For a Switzerland without an army and an overall peaceful political stance"), which gathered 111,300 signatures (100,000 were required to initiate a vote). On 26 November 1989, 68.6% of eligible voters cast their ballot, resulting in 1,052,218 (35.6%) votes for the motion.
External links
:"As of time of writing (2 June 2007), the English and Italian websites are very basic, containing only short informative mission statements."
*de icon [http://www.gsoa.ch/ Official website]
*en icon [http://www.gsoa.ch/gsoa/en/ Official website]
*fr icon [http://www.gssa.ch/ Official website]
*it icon [http://www.gssa.ch/gsse/ Official website]
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