Operation Libero is a
liberal transpartisan political movement in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
History
Operation Libero was launched in the aftermath of the acceptance of the
Swiss immigration referendum in October 2014 by members of the
Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy (''foraus''), a
Zürich-based
think tank. It aims to promote an
open-minded,
multicultural and forward-looking
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, as opposed to the
national conservative and
isolationist approach promoted by the
Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) and the
Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland (AUNS/ASIN/ASNI).
In February 2016, Operation Libero emerged as the driving force in the campaign against the
referendum on the popular initiative on the effective expulsion of foreign criminals promoted by the
SVP/UDC, which was eventually rejected thanks to a large mobilisation in metropolitan areas. The innovative and effective campaigning approach raised an unprecedented attention by domestic and foreign media. Other successful campaigns were run on
referendums related to
marriage equality (February 2016),
asylum regulations (June 2016), and easier naturalisation for third-generation immigrants (February 2017).
At the end of August 2022, Operation Libero, together with
La Suisse en Europe,
Suisseculture,
Volt Switzerland, the
Association of Swiss Student Bodies (VSS) and the
Green Party of Switzerland, founded the Europe Initiative, a civil society alliance aimed at obliging the Federal Council to open negotiations with the EU.
Structure
Operation Libero is structured as a national
association with regional sections in
Basel,
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
,
Geneva and Zürich.
The head office is located in the
Langstrasse district in Zürich.
Positions
Operation Libero defines itself as a
liberal transpartisan political movement. It stands for "an upheaval in the Swiss political landscape" and promotes the recognition
interdependence
Systems theory is the interdisciplinary study of systems, i.e. cohesive groups of interrelated, interdependent components that can be natural or human-made. Every system has causal boundaries, is influenced by its context, defined by its struc ...
s at
global and
European level,
freedom
Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
,
progress and the
rule of law
The rule of law is the political philosophy that all citizens and institutions within a country, state, or community are accountable to the same laws, including lawmakers and leaders. The rule of law is defined in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica ...
. Its key position are the defence and promotion of
free movement of persons between Switzerland and the European Union, a liberal
immigration policy for
third country nationals,
citizenship rights based on residence, a close and constructive relationship with the
European Union including an open discussion about membership, as well as an equal treatment of all forms of relationships including the legal recognition of
same-sex marriage.
Its liberal approach is inspired by the principles of
egalitarian justice, multicultural citizenship and
constitutional patriotism. Its agenda can be described as
social liberal and
pro-European.
Campaigning
Operation libero does not participate in political
elections, but it is involved in
referendum campaigns. It has a strong presence in
social media through a team of "online warriors,"
it organises activities at local level through its regional branches, and it is regularly invited at talkshows in the national
talk shows.
It is funded through membership fees and targeted
crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
campaigns.
100'000 Franken gesammelt: Operation Libero startet Einbürgerungs-Kampagne, watson, accessed on 25 November 2017
/ref>
Co-Presidents
* Dominik Elser (2014–2016)
* Flavia Kleiner (2014-2020)
* Nicolas Zahn (2016)
* Laura Zimmermann (2016-2021)
* Stefan Manser-Egli (since 2020)
*Sanija Ameti (since 2021)
See also
* Liberalism and radicalism in Switzerland
* Contributions to liberal theory
* Liberalism worldwide
* Liberal democracy
References
External links
Official website
{{Portal bar, Politics, Liberalism, Switzerland
2014 establishments in Switzerland
Politics of Switzerland
Political movements in Switzerland
Political organisations based in Switzerland