Eins, zwei, Polizei

If you're coloured, you must be a drug dealer, right?

Well that's what the Swiss police seem to believe. I was committing the "heinous crime" of Ambling Along Marktplatz Looking For A Nibble On A Sunday Afternoon While Black, and was approached by two unmarked, ununiformed police officers. I backed away a bit, 'cause I thought they might be a bit dodgy, but then one of the agents tugged me gently by the arm and the other drew a police id. Ahh... then it was the usual "where's your id? Got any drugs? What are you up to? Empty your pockets and let us pat you down" spiel before they left. They asked "did you think we were gonna mug you?" but after getting myself together a bit I realized that I suspected something very vaguely along that line. I've been mugged before (in Sydney though) and I didn't even realize these guys were cops till one showed the id. It's been my second stop'n'search in less than a month here.

The racism is not so much in the "show your id" Personenkontrolle, which is almost de rigueur in a lot of the European subcontinent (and some other parts of the world) - yes, sometimes even if you're white. It lies in the belief that anyone with a dark skin colour is probably a drug pusher. Switzerland is known as a "benevolent" police state but I didn't find this stop'n'search check all that benevolent. If I'm going to settle in Switzerland permanently, can I handle this every month or other week? I don't know. When I'm married I'll be able to reëmigrate to Australia or New Zealand (if I, rather we, wish) where the police, while not perfect, are not anywhere near as paranoid as to believe that practically every person with a coloured face must be carrying drugs or doing something dodgy.

I still bid the officers a good day after all that: it's the courteous thing to do, even to the racially prejudiced Swiss police. I'll bid an extra good day to you blog readers too of course. :)