Head of the Department of Security, Mario Fehr, said Abunimah is forbidden entry to Zurich, adding "we do not want an Islamist Jew-hater who calls for violence in Switzerland."
Ali Abunimah, the executive director of the anti-Israel online publication - The Electronic Intifada (EI) - was arrested by Swiss Police ahead of an event in Zurich on Saturday afternoon, according to both the EI and Swiss news site NZZ.
Abunimah allegedly entered Switzerland on Friday, where he was questioned by police before being allowed to enter the country.
EI then reported that American-Palestinian Abunimah was arrested a day later, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and is currently being detained with access to legal counsel.
According to the report by NZZ, Abunimah had been invited to an event held by The Palestine Committee Zurich.
NZZ added that the Zurich police had been notified of Abunimah's planned appearance and submitted a request to Fedpol that he be banned, which was granted.
Government councilor and the Head of the Department of Security, Mario Fehr, told NZZ that Abunimah is forbidden to travel to Zurich, adding, "We do not want an Islamist Jew-hater who calls for violence in Switzerland."
Fedpol can ban entry to people deemed a threat to Swiss security, either internal or external.
What is Electronic Intifada?
The Electronic Intifada self-describes as "an independent online news publication and educational resource focusing on Palestine."
The Jerusalem Post reported on anti-Israel statements Abunimah had said in the past, in which he stated that “Zionism is one of the worst forms of antisemitism in existence today” and that support for Zionism “is not atonement for the Holocaust, but its continuation in spirit.”
He has also continually praised Hamas and Islamic Jihad attacks on Israel as "resistance."
Abunimah has previously tweeted, "There is no credible evidence of a single rape on October 7."
On Saturday, Thomas Patzko, a board member of Never Again Is Now, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating antisemitism, said, "Abunimah and his platform are a mouthpiece for Hamas."
"On social media, he shares content from the armed wing of Hamas, and he mourns its 'martyrs,'" Patzko added.
Some have come out in support of Abunimah on social media, declaring his arrest an attack on free speech.
"Speaking out against injustice in Palestine is not a crime. Journalism is not a crime," wrote one user.
"In the European garden of liberal values, any form of Palestinian advocacy can be criminalized," wrote another.
Abunimah's most recent article, published on January 18, 2025, was titled "How Gaza’s Resistance Defeated Israel."
On January 6, he wrote about what he calls false claims of rape by Palestinians on October 7, saying it was "rape atrocity propaganda" used to "justify Israel's ongoing genocide of Palestinians."
Notably, one of EI's writers was Rana Baker, a now-King’s College London lecturer who led a seminar earlier in 2024 and handed out a Hamas text titled “Our Narrative: Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” which was originally published by the Hamas Media Office in January, as part of a seminar on the 1948 war and “Palestinian Arab identity-formation" during a lecture.
The 18-page document refers to the October 7 massacre as a “necessary step” and a “normal response” to Israel’s actions.
Baker celebrated when three Israeli teens were abducted in June 2014, calling it “Wonderful, wonderful news that three settlers have been kidnapped,” in an X/Twitter post.
Director of Electronic Intifada Ali Abunimah detained by Zurich police - The Jerusalem Post
Ali Abunimah, the executive director of the anti-Israel online publication - The Electronic Intifada (EI) - was arrested by Swiss Police ahead of an event in Zurich on Saturday afternoon, according to both the EI and Swiss news site NZZ.
Abunimah allegedly entered Switzerland on Friday, where he was questioned by police before being allowed to enter the country.
EI then reported that American-Palestinian Abunimah was arrested a day later, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and is currently being detained with access to legal counsel.
According to the report by NZZ, Abunimah had been invited to an event held by The Palestine Committee Zurich.
NZZ added that the Zurich police had been notified of Abunimah's planned appearance and submitted a request to Fedpol that he be banned, which was granted.
Government councilor and the Head of the Department of Security, Mario Fehr, told NZZ that Abunimah is forbidden to travel to Zurich, adding, "We do not want an Islamist Jew-hater who calls for violence in Switzerland."
Fedpol can ban entry to people deemed a threat to Swiss security, either internal or external.
What is Electronic Intifada?
The Electronic Intifada self-describes as "an independent online news publication and educational resource focusing on Palestine."
The Jerusalem Post reported on anti-Israel statements Abunimah had said in the past, in which he stated that “Zionism is one of the worst forms of antisemitism in existence today” and that support for Zionism “is not atonement for the Holocaust, but its continuation in spirit.”
He has also continually praised Hamas and Islamic Jihad attacks on Israel as "resistance."
Abunimah has previously tweeted, "There is no credible evidence of a single rape on October 7."
On Saturday, Thomas Patzko, a board member of Never Again Is Now, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating antisemitism, said, "Abunimah and his platform are a mouthpiece for Hamas."
"On social media, he shares content from the armed wing of Hamas, and he mourns its 'martyrs,'" Patzko added.
Some have come out in support of Abunimah on social media, declaring his arrest an attack on free speech.
"Speaking out against injustice in Palestine is not a crime. Journalism is not a crime," wrote one user.
"In the European garden of liberal values, any form of Palestinian advocacy can be criminalized," wrote another.
Abunimah's most recent article, published on January 18, 2025, was titled "How Gaza’s Resistance Defeated Israel."
On January 6, he wrote about what he calls false claims of rape by Palestinians on October 7, saying it was "rape atrocity propaganda" used to "justify Israel's ongoing genocide of Palestinians."
Notably, one of EI's writers was Rana Baker, a now-King’s College London lecturer who led a seminar earlier in 2024 and handed out a Hamas text titled “Our Narrative: Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” which was originally published by the Hamas Media Office in January, as part of a seminar on the 1948 war and “Palestinian Arab identity-formation" during a lecture.
The 18-page document refers to the October 7 massacre as a “necessary step” and a “normal response” to Israel’s actions.
Baker celebrated when three Israeli teens were abducted in June 2014, calling it “Wonderful, wonderful news that three settlers have been kidnapped,” in an X/Twitter post.
Director of Electronic Intifada Ali Abunimah detained by Zurich police - The Jerusalem Post
