Ali Abunimah reveals how he was ambushed by Swiss police

In a special livestream on Tuesday, The Electronic Intifada’s executive director Ali Abunimah talked about his ordeal in Switzerland this past weekend.

You can watch the whole stream in the video above.

Defying international outrage, Abunimah was detained without charge on Saturday at the behest of Mario Fehr, a government official in charge of policing in the canton of Zurich. Fehr is an ardent Zionist who attends pro-Israel demonstrations.

After two nights in jail, Abunimah was deported from the country on Monday.

In the special livestream, Abunimah recounted what was effectively a kidnapping at the hands of undercover Swiss police, as well as his three days in an immigration jail.

With no warning, Abunimah was grabbed by police en route to a speaking venue, where he was due to address local Palestine solidarity campaigners.

“I thought I was being mugged,” Abunimah told us. At no point during his detention were any charges put to him and he was held in what the Swiss authorities call administrative detention until deportation.

In the presence of his lawyer, the police explained to Abunimah that on Friday – the same day he arrived into the country – he was issued with an entry ban, “to safeguard the internal and external security of Switzerland.”

“Solidarity is everywhere”

But despite being questioned for an hour upon arrival at the airport on Friday, he had been permitted entry to the country. It is currently unclear exactly what time that day the ban was issued, but it seems to have been issued after Abunimah’s entry.

He also revealed how Swiss intelligence agents attempted (and failed) to interview him without his lawyer present. One of the agents spoke Arabic with an Egyptian accent.

But there were also glimmers of hope, even in the darkest places. Abunimah’s cellmate Mustafa was pleased to learn he was sharing a cell with a Palestinian, and wrote a message on the cell’s window communicating as such to the other prisoners – who were mostly Arabs.

“All the other prisoners were just giving victory signs and waving,” Abunimah recalled. “And it was really one of the most touching things I’ve ever seen. So that tells you solidarity is everywhere.”

We also discussed the historic events in Gaza and Lebanon this weekend, as Palestinian and Lebanese people displaced by genocide and war began returning to their homes in northern Gaza and South Lebanon, as Israeli troops withdrew.

We will discuss all this more on Thursday’s regular livestream.

my_imprisonment_in_switzerland_with_ali_abunimah.mp3

Download my_imprisonment_in_switzerland_with_ali_abunimah.mp3 (57.31 MB)

Comments

A set-up

Permalink Hadassah BORREMAN replied on Thu, 01/30/2025 - 15:11

I'm sure that Al Abumima's arrest by the Swiss police was a set-up. Strange that it should have happened on the day he was going to give a lecture, isn't it?

Ali Abunimah grabbing in Swizerland

Permalink Irene Abugattas replied on Thu, 01/30/2025 - 16:49

My solidarity with Ali and all members of Electronic Intifada from Peru.

Switzerland has undercover

Permalink Elizabeth Block replied on Thu, 01/30/2025 - 23:04

Switzerland has undercover police? And administrative detention?? And a rabidly Zionist government???

time in jail

Permalink handala replied on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 14:16

Another 'thing' you now share with MLK who wrote about his time in a Birmingham jail. You share much with Martin and the dream is the same. Freedom-Dignity-Equality

https://www.africa.upenn.edu/A...

hypocrisy swiss style

Permalink handala replied on Sat, 02/01/2025 - 17:22

The swiss have decades of experience in safeguarding, working with anyone with $ since day1 eh?
All that sacrifice for justice and rights back in 1937-1945,right?

New supporter, solidarity and a comment

Permalink Dan replied on Sat, 02/08/2025 - 14:20

It's shameful that you were abducted and intimidated for journalism and advocacy. Solidarity!

When you related your experience of the contempt from some of the prison staff, you described it as structural European racism. No doubt that's one way to frame it, it would certainly have been racially conscious. The other analogy would be that you experienced what it is to be a West Bank Israeli settler for a moment. Indigenous peoples who have settlers imposed upon their homelands by undemocratic occupation forces show contempt about it sometimes, even if the individual character of any one settler or member of the incoming demographic group may be admirable. Surely you have some idea why that might be?