It’s interesting that this seems to be such a topic for you, though. Do you come from somewhere that doesn’t have squatters at all? It’s not really on the radar of most people, especially here, where it’s not really an issue. Curious what triggered your kingly rant.
That implies that Switzerland has to stop being Switzerland and become something else. If something can be solved with dialog and negotiation within the framework of the rule of law, why choose violence instead?
Just because an idiot foreigner failed at basic due diligence in Spain?
They must fight early! They might owne a villa or even a factory-building one day and heaven forbid some freaks might move in while they’re out for lunch.
Just like they must invest loads and loads of time against maybe a little more taxes for the super rich because you never know, they might win those 250 million in the Eurolotto tomorrow. And then what?!?
Don’t you ever think of these possibilities?!? Ah, right, shirleynot. 
Just because an idiot foreigner failed at basic due diligence in Spain?
What would be the due diligence outcome? Not buying a property in Spain at all? Or not ever leaving the apartment for a weekend? This is exactly I wouldn’t want to happen to Switzerland.
How can you be sarcastic about wanting to have the rule of law?
Barcelona the squatting capital of Spain with a third of the reported cases in the country. And within the big metro area, there are hotspots. That’s 10 mins of internet due diligence, anyone buying property should be a bit smarter.
It’s sad, but true. The most vulnerable people face the greatest challenges. As a foreigner, why would I choose to put myself in the middle of that? Or, did the Barcelona squatting story happened in a nice building in an above average income neighborhood with a caretaker (portero)?.
Back to Switzerland, I have not seen places with that level of urban decay to attract and empower squatters. Maybe there are rougher areas in cities, but most of the country is carefully manicured suburban sprawl where the basic ingredients for squatting are not found.
I don’t see how it is violence: outlawing trespassing and executing the law? And if it is not a one-off but an organized group of anarchists / anti-fascists etc. you named it doing it almost professionally, it totally falls into category of domestic terrorism to me.
Curious what triggered your kingly rant.
Well, I was aware of the issue in Spain and somewhat in France and when I hear of something similar happening where I actually want to live, it triggers me, as I really despise these people (despise but most importantly see as a threat).
I.e. people leaving graffitis like this one (or people leaving graffitis in general but it’s another story),
It’s a trade off, isn’t it. Living in a place with a vanishingly insignificant issue such as squatting, which may or may not trigger some people, but you can also say that you can get affordable healthcare, welfare if you fall on hard times, equal and good quality schooling pretty much everywhere and you can say with virtually 99% certainty that your children aren’t going to be shot to pieces in their school.
I guess if you want peace of mind, you should move into an apartment block owned by a decently sized property firm and they will take care of people trying to randomly move in while you’re away for a city-break at the weekend.
I think I can find a personal strategy for that, yet when it comes to the system as a whole, here I am manifesting my POV =) Also, any prosperous country can be ruined by socialists , thinking now of Venezuela or Argentina
What does that have to do with squatters?
EDIT: isn’t Argentina in the grip of a right-wing nutjob?
What does that have to do with squatters?
As it comes a part of a nutjob leftist package of things.
EDIT: isn’t Argentina in the grip of a right-wing nutjob?
What’s your point? Why does it matter who is running it now after decades of decay?
So, the low numbers of squatters in Switzerland is due to its decent standard of living, fair welfare state, healthcare, education and equality?
Friends of ours are from Madrid and they bought a house there at the height of the property price boom, unfortunately they ended up in negative equity and couldn’t sell.
The husband then got a contract to work in London, after that finished they came to Basel for a while and the husband got a transfer to Ticino with his company. They still have the house in Madrid, it’s completely bricked up with all of their belongings in it as they don’t want squatters getting in due to the laws in Spain being on their side. They told me if squatters got in the chances are they’d never be able to get them out.
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There’s been problems with squatters in Lower Kleinbasel around the Voltaplatz area for a number of years, the ones who are part of the anarchist anti capitalist movement. There’s also a building near me at Gellert in Basel which is earmarked for demolition because squatters took in over for a bit, think it was to do with rights for LGBTQ+ .
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- Decent standard of living is inter alia due to relaxed taxation encouraging economic activity, decentralisation, definitely not due to socialism, it’s one of the most liberal countries in Europe, if not the most
- Fair welfare state: two years of employed for those who worked, encouraging to find another job and based on insurance payment + social welfare that must be paid back in most cantons - is the minimal net I could also live with?
- Healthcare: it works because it’s expensive and mostly private? Monthly significant contributions, the franchise etc.? An extremely short maternity leave? Doesn’t sound like mad socialism to me?
- Education and equality not sure what specifically you want to say here..
I hope the low number of squatters though is not conditioned solely by the above but also by the rule of law and I wish the law was even stricter based on what I learned from responders.
I think that the point is that the system in Switzerland, however you want to label it, is pretty good at minimising the people who fall through the net, if you compare it with other developed nations.
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Because rules of law must make sense and everybody in Zurich has long found out how to handle them while still making sense.
The rules of law are all still intact but you haven’t noticed because you.want.these.premises.empty.for.years.just.for.the.sake.of.it.
That’s it for me to this subect. I leave you to it, until you’re out of the phase that seems to me like this:
As to Spain, I can understand their anger but I’m not sure the way they go about it will be successful. But mainly having been there 2-3 times in my life I have no idea how the situation with neither the tourists nor the rioters really is. Therefore I cannot allow myself to pass judgment.
And it will remain being pretty good as long as we aren’t introducing mad socialist ideas
you.want.these.premises.empty.for.years.just.for.the.sake.of.it.
You realize that the distance between “let’s take away empty properties from the richt” and “let’s take away everything from the rich and re-distribute wealth no matter the merit” is minimal and if you support the latter it’s pure madness to me.