Do any of you people actually know anything about Switzerland? Its one of the most zenophobic, insular, narrow-minded countries in Europe. Having lived and worked there I still have many more open-minded Swiss friends who are the ones who frequently bemoan the above.

Good grief, just look at their history. They were one of the most war-like countries around: divided into little cantons who were for ever knocking each other off on the basis that their canton was tip-top, number one and top of the pile. "Peaceful" little people "minding their own business" indeed!

Yet they are upheld here as paralleling Australia on the immigration question?

Well,...maybe the zenophobic, insular and narrow-minded sections of the Australian community perhaps?

Perhaps some of my earlier commentators would rather we emulate the insular attitudes of countries like Syria or North Korea! Have a good look at yourselves. Before we judge our contemporary immigrants we should remember that "Aussies" have done NOTHING to integrate themselves with the original inhabitants of this country.

"Mickijo", "BOAZ_David" & "KAEP" I can see that the only way is your way or the highway.

Hello all. I have some contact with Switzerland, so maybe I can add something here.
One of the other calls the SPP made was for a moratorium of the building of minarets, and probably mosques altogether. I suspect this is the key to understanding the call for foreigners who commit crimes to be deported.
Switzerland is a very christian country; mostly protestant but with a significant catholic minority.
Muslims are no-where in Switzerland or were, at least, up until very recently. Remember that Albania is Muslim - the rape by two Albanian children of a Swiss child will have indicated to many Swiss that the problems that Denmark, Holland, France, Germany and Sweden have been having are now starting to occur in Switzerland.
I take this as another European country saying "No" to the Eurabia project of the last many decades.

The Swiss are xenophobic by definition. Always have been. That is why they have never had any problem whatsoever making money at the expense of others. After all others are not Swiss.

Having said that, for such a small xenophobic nation they have still taken in more refugees per head of population than large roomy Australia.

The Swiss reaction is understandable when they can see the problems that are so serious in other parts of Western Europe, when immigrants are not helped to adapt, as they must, and the existing population does not know how to help, as they must. In parts of UK visiting Australians report 'near civil war' bubbling as immigrant groups long down-trodden produce new rebellious generations.
Australia has managed very well with most of our immigrant groups, but there are still problems when migrants bring with them values and practices that downgrade women, cannot allow religious freedom, or where youth has been accustomed to violence. We have had/have all these in our own past too. At present our African refugees are receiving practical help from the State in housing etc, and personal help from community groups, but inadequate help in cultural matters such as car driving, keeping the peace in face sometimes of provocation, and family planning.
It would be better for all of us including immigrants, to know and accept a shortened version of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, than have a citizen's test of trivial information that most of us would fail.

I do not condone the Swiss People Party's position, however: Because of its position and its wealth, Switzerland has always attracted people from all over Europe wanting to live and work there. In the 50s, 60s and 70s it were the Italians, Spanish and Portuguese then Turkish workers. Now they come from Albania, Romania.The influx of people has increased manifold. Adding to this are myriads of refugees first eg. the Hungarians, Czechs, Poles, lateron refugees from Vietnam, former Yugoslavia and African countries. Switzerland is a small country - about the size of Tasmania with a population exceeding 8 million. For the past years Switzerland has tried hard to integrate migrants, eg in the Cantons Basel-Stadt and Basel-Land where a Swiss dialect is spoken as opposed to High German which is the written official German language, even kindergarten teachers have to speak High German in class so migrant children will have it easier to express themselves in the written language. It is also a fact that there are criminal gangs of Albanian, Rumanian, Bulgarian and Russian backgrounds committing crimes from prostitution to robbery.
Switzerland may not have the best track record but I find it a bit rich to point the finger at Switzerland when Australia is even worse with its approach of dumping refugees including children into detention centres. Fear of the unknown is being exploited by political parties worldwide.
I was born and educated in Switzerland, a child of a Swiss mother and a Dutch father who had grown up in Germany. I grew up speaking various Swiss dialects and High German at home, fluently and without any accent - I got my fair share of ridicule because of my High German. That's life. Switzerland is not as safe as it was when I grew up. So do not blame the Swiss if they try to protect themselves and support the Swiss People party. After all there are Australians who suspect that every Muslim is a terrorist....