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So they asked beforehand if there was space for them, and they were told it was not. They were told by the police to exit the highway, and they did not.
Unless there's more to the story than what the article says, this is some seriously entitled behaviour
They're literally 'entitled' to use Swiss roads. You don't need to ask police permission to drive somewhere. If they thought the caravan was going to park somewhere illegally, they could intervene then once an actual crime has been committed.
But none of this is about actual crime. It's just NIMBY racism.
The article does say that it was the local council that wanted to prevent them from moving there.
I'm not saying there definitely is a discriminatory motive.. I do not know how the people of Switzerland look at the Romani people.
But given the way Roma are treated in much of Europe, and Switzerland's reputation for being somewhat conservative, I am not discounting the possibility that they are being discriminated against here.
The equivalent in the US would be if a couple of families of black people wanted to move to a predominantly white town in the south, and the county would step in claiming there are no more homes available.
Specifically the Valais is very conservative, so I would not be surprised if it were purely discriminatory. Also free camping above 2k is legal and a lot of Valais is above 2k.
By "traveling community" and "travelers", does the article author actually mean Romani ("gypsies")?
I ask since the article may have lost something in translation. It also puts the police's actions in a different light if true.
"Travelers" does generally refer to the Romani and Sinti people who live a nomadic lifestyle.
The French version of the article uses the phrase "les gens du voyage", which according to the French Wikipedia page is often used to refer to the "Roma of France (including the Sinti and the Gitanos)".
So I think it's fairly safe to assume that that is what they mean with "travelers" in this article.
But they travel on what seem to be modern and perfectly white and clean caravans? These must not be the same kind of travellers we have where I live.
Most gypsies do in continental western Europe, nice cars too. I can also tell you where they were heading is a very luxurious area where mansion owners are maybe a bit more equal than a farmer who wants to rent out his field.
Honest question: How do you earn a living if you're never in the same place for too long? I cannot see how those folks manage unless they're so wealthy they can live off interest or they do remote work of some kind.
They have all kind of trades that allows them to move around : the ever present food trucks or amusements machines for fairs, the traditional chair seating and cushioning repairs (it costs a lot, and their unique abilities and traditions is sought for antiques).
They also do all kinds of odd jobs on the cheap. Redoing the whole masonry isn't something you would ask someone who isn't seriously settled but simply refreshing a paint job? Cleaning up a roof, a driveway? Trimming a few tall trees? Sure.
Are they clean about taxes? Probably not.
Are they all drug smugglers and thieves? I don't think more than the general population, really. Crimes tend to get higher when they are around but which part is them doing it and which part is people using the presence of a recurent scapegoat ?
If they are citizens of the eu don't they have freedom of movement between countries?
Switzerland is not a member of EU
The borders are still open though, no?
Correct. There is freedom of movement between the EU and Switzerland.
Switzerland is also part of Schengen, so there is not even a need to show a passport at the border.
They are part of Schengen, so no border control. But the rest of intra-EU arrangements don't necessarily apply.
They obviously crossed the border, since the article mentions they came from France. Being able to travel to another country doesn't mean you can do whatever you please, though.
But it is part of the Schengen area, which guarantees freedom of movement
I'm not sure how it works in Switzerland but in the UK I believe the government is required to provide some legal settlement sites as a form of cultural preservation, many municipalities don't of course which results in illegal settlements. I know a lot of people dislike travellers but the issue always seemed to be an artifical one and classic example of creating an issue in order to take advantage of the outrage.