Swiss politician faces backlash for shooting at religious image

Swiss politician and activist Sanija Ameti came under public scrutiny on 8 September. The previous day, she had posted Instagram stories from her shooting range exercises. This is not unusual in Switzerland, where 2 million out of nearly 9 million citizens own firearms. However, Ameti was shooting at an image of Mary holding baby Jesus. The photos show her aiming the gun and her target with a dozen bullet holes.

The news portal blick.ch investigated why the politician chose such a target, potentially offending both Christians and Muslims (Mary and Jesus are also revered in the Quran). In response, Ameti removed the photos from Instagram and replied: "I needed sufficiently visible targets to shoot from 11 yards. I only had a Koller catalogue at hand, which was big enough. I didn't pay attention to the content of the pictures. It wasn't right. I am truly sorry if I have offended anyone!"

Koller is a well-known auction house in Zurich. The painting Ameti shot at is "Madonna with Child and Archangel Michael" by Tommaso del Mazzo. The painting will be auctioned on 20 September and could fetch at least £132,000. In a comment to blick.ch, Ameti stated: "That was absolutely stupid of me. I didn't think anything of it. I am incredibly sorry. I ask for forgiveness from the people who were hurt by it."

Thirty-two-year-old Ameti was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her family fled to Switzerland from the war in the Balkan Peninsula in 1995. In 2018, Ameti graduated in law from the University of Zurich. In 2020, she became a member of the leadership of the centre-left Green Liberals party in the canton of Zurich. Ameti gained more recognition across Switzerland through her election to the board of Operation Libero.

Operation Libero is a liberal, non-partisan political movement. Its goal is to promote an open, multicultural, and forward-looking Switzerland, in contrast to the national-conservative and isolationist approach promoted by the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP) and the Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland (AUNS).

Both the Green Liberals party and Operation Libero distanced themselves from Ameti's behaviour, deeming it an unnecessary provocation. Meanwhile, the SVP youth wing filed a complaint with the prosecutor for violating religious freedom laws. On 9 September, Ameti announced that she had resigned from her position in the leadership of the Green Liberals in Zurich.