On the night of 19.10.2009, Wilson A. and his friend were in the tram on their way home when a police patrol ordered them, without giving any justification, to get out of the tram for a police check. Wilson A.'s question about the reason for the check was answered with an excess of violence by the police officers, which Wilson A. was lucky to survive.
Racist police violence is systematic and is covered up by the authorities in the vast majority of cases. This makes it all the more important that those affected and activists from various cases to come together. At the information event, the Alliance Against Racial Profiling will present the case of Wilson A. We will then talk about the practical possibilities of networking with various initiatives.
On February 15, 2024, Wilson A.'s trial against the police will take place before the High Court. It concerns Wilson's lawsuit against the group leader of the police operation on October 19, 2009, in which Wilson A. was almost killed. The case of Wilson A. is exemplary of the institutional racism of the Swiss police and judiciary. The case of Wilson A. is exemplary of the institutional racism of the Swiss police and judiciary.
Wilson A. filed a complaint against the officers for "endangerment of life". This use of violence by the police has however been covered up by all judicial instances and the trial has now been delayed for almost 14 years. Requests for clarification and demands for justice have been systematically denied by the judiciary.
On the night of 19.10.2009, Wilson A. and his friend were in the tram on their way home when a police patrol ordered them, without giving any justification, to get out of the tram for a police check. Wilson A.'s question about the reason for the check was answered with an excess of violence by the police officers, which Wilson A. was lucky to survive.
Wilson A. - a long-standing confrontation with institutional racism
If a person decides to take legal action against police violence, the public prosecutor's office and the police investigate the allegations in the preliminary proceedings. This means that a criminal complaint against members of the police force is normally dealt with by people and agencies that rely on good cooperation with the accused or their superiors in their everyday work. Often the investigations during the preliminary investigation are not effective because colleagues protect and collude with each other or because the public prosecutor's office does not investigate consistently enough. Criminal proceedings are hardly ever initiated at all after the preliminary proceedings.
Racial profiling and the question of human dignity
Why people with a non-white skin color are not "untouchable" Racism is not something that happens casually, nor is racism an individual problem, but a social one, says Tarek Naguib, coordinator of the Swiss Human Rights Platform and co-founder of the Alliance Against Racial Profiling. Nevertheless, the experience of discrimination, violence and threats is always a personal and painful one. As in the case of Wilson A., who almost lost his life during a police stop and is still fighting for his rights today.