Martin Sellner, a well-known Austrian far-right politician who advocates for the mass deportations of “illegal immigrants” across Europe, was arrested for entering Switzerland unlawfully for the second time. Sellner, who was previously supported by Elon Musk, was taken into custody on Saturday, October 19, according to an exclusive statement from the Swiss Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) to Bored Panda.
According to Swiss Info at the time, Martin Sellner, a well-known right-wing fanatic, entered Switzerland on Saturday in defiance of a travel ban.
When the 35-year-old tried to cross the German-Swiss border, the Thurgau canton police stopped him.
FedPol spokesman Christoph Gnägi told Bored Panda via email that Sellner was stopped as part of an effort to avert threats within the nation.
Prominent Austrian far-right figure, Martin Sellner, was arrested for illegally entering Switzerland
Gnägi told Bored Panda that he was detained just after 10:30 a.m. local time after halting Sellner.
Gnägi further disclosed that Sellner had been “arrested by intervention forces of the Thurgau cantonal police on Swiss territory in Kreuzlingen and taken to the police station for further questioning” after Fedpol had banned him from entering the country.
Gnägi continued, “He was then escorted to the German border and left Swiss territory.”
According to Swiss Info, Sellner was scheduled to fly to Switzerland to speak at an event hosted by the right-wing extremist organization Junge Tat, perhaps in the Zurich canton.
According to RTS at the time, Junge Tat has a history of acting against progressive causes, including by interfering with an LGBTQ+ event in Zurich in 2022.
The group, which has neo-Nazi roots, has changed its name to identitarian in an effort to draw in additional members, especially young people, while eschewing overt ideological insignia.
He was arrested for a second time amid advocating for the mass deportation of “illegal immigrants” in Europe
Their public acts and expanding internet following have sparked worries about the emergence of right-wing extremism in the nation, notwithstanding their small core membership.
According to reports, the Aargau cantonal police prevented Junge Tat from hosting an event with Sellner in March of this year.
Sellner claimed he had been barred from the canton for two months after sharing a video on X (previously Twitter) that showed Swiss police dismantling the Junge Tat event in Aargau. In response, Elon Musk said, “Is this legal?”
Sellner was later temporarily barred from canton Aargau by the police.
Fedpol spokesman Gnägi clarified, “Issued entry bans are registered in the national police computerized search system.” “A report is also made in the Schengen Information System if the individual in question is a citizen of a third country, which leads to a ban on entering the entire Schengen area.”
He added to Bored Panda: “Therefore, during a personal check, the relevant and authorized authorities have the necessary information to determine whether a valid entry ban exists and can take appropriate action.”
Sellner was arrested on Saturday (October 19), the Swiss Federal Office of Police exclusively confirmed to Bored Panda
“Is this already Switzerland?”
Ja, du dämlicher, Nichtsnutz rechtsextremer.
The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS), which is tasked with conducting border checks, is in charge of these operations.
According to risk and the circumstances surrounding the flow of people and products, FOCBS performs checks.
“This does not imply that the checks are methodical, though.”
He was previously backed by Elon Musk
According to Gnägi, the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration gives Fedpol the authority to restrict foreign nationals from entering Switzerland and expel them if necessary to safeguard national security.
These rulings, which are made on an individual basis with the goal of averting particular security risks, are appealable in the Federal Administrative Court.
This year, Sellner’s book Remigration – A Proposal created a lot of controversy. According to Swiss Info, he demanded in it that many foreign-born people be expelled from Germany and other European nations.
According to his book, Sellner targets “non-assimilated citizens” in addition to criminal immigrants.
Sellner presented a lecture on this subject on Friday, October 18, in Neu-Ulm, Germany, prior to his attempt to visit Switzerland.
According to reports, this resulted in a game of cat and mouse between him and the police, who broke into the event but were unable to locate Sellner.
The 35-year-old was stopped by the Thurgau canton police while attempting to cross the German-Swiss border
Today evening: “The Baden-Württembergische Polizei has requested assistance for Bayern by locating a private gathering in Neu-Ulm after a type claimed that Martin Sellner was present there.”
Exclusive: I’ve received a Mitteilung about it, which is image.twitter.com/6rl9sq374M
— October 18, 2024, Markus Haintz (@Haintz_MediaLaw)
He said he left the venue just before the police arrived and came back later, according to Swiss Info.
In addition to being the founder of the contentious Identitarian Movement, Sellner is notorious for having communicated with and accepted funds from the Christchurch terrorist before to the 2019 assault.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, showed support for him when his X account was reinstated back in March, according to a report from The Guardian at the time.
According to the British publication, Sellner, who espouses the superiority of European ethnic groupings, was banned from X in 2020 by the previous Twitter management, along with dozens of other accounts associated with the organization, due to criticism of the platform’s handling of extremist content.
“I’m happy and grateful to be back on Twitter/X,” Sellner continued, praising Musk for reactivating his X account.
“I want to thank Musk in particular for restoring the platform’s openness. I hope that everyone who has been banned returns and that the trend continues.
“There’s absolutely no room for this man in Switzerland,” a reader commented
