The Supreme Court has endorsed a decision to declare invalid a people’s initiative aimed at closing a popular but controversial culture centre in the Swiss capital, Bern. Rejecting an appeal by the promoters of the initiative, the court announced on Wednesday that the plan by the youth wing of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party ignored legal principles, including the autonomy of local authorities, and “exceeded any reasonable measure”. The initiative, which collected the necessary number of signatures two years ago, called for a CHF54.1 million ($56.2 million) cut in annual subsidies for the city of Bern from public coffers in effort to shut the Reitschule centre. The promoters accused the five-member court as politically biased, according to Swiss public radio, SRF. Rightwing political groups argue voters should have the final say on the centre, which they often see as hotbed of leftwing militants and drug dealers. Bern cantonal parliament decided in 2017 to declare the ...
