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Abusive and aggressive people who refuse to wear masks on trains and planes will be fined a few hundred francs.
Thun – Bern route in March 2021: A middle-aged man without a mask, the train attendant tells him that masks are compulsory, he reacts aggressively and gets loud. He complains that the train attendants walk around “like Nazis”. When getting off in Bern, he again insults him as a “Nazi”, 80 years ago in Germany it started that way, says the man and shows the middle finger.
The federal prosecutor sentenced him to a conditional fine of 1,500 francs, a fine totaling 450 francs and the assumption of the procedural costs of 500 francs. This emerges from a criminal order issued by the federal prosecutor in recent months.
Legend:
Mask refusers on the go: SBB, Edelweiss and Swiss are noticing an increase in conflicts.
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The Office of the Attorney General is responsible for violence, threats and insults against officials – including train staff – and for violations on airplanes, in combination with offenses against Covid-19 protective measures such as the obligation to wear a mask.
Brawling in Business Class
June 2021, Edelweiss flight from Punta Cana to Zurich. A 61-year-old in Business Class complains about the champagne, which has “cones”. He asks for a new, larger bottle. He’s getting louder and angrier. He grabs the “Chef de Cabine” by the forearm, for which he is warned by the crew.
Then he wears the mask under his chin, claims to be drinking, and orders a new glass of water every few minutes. The federal prosecutor decided here: The man must pay a violation fine of 500 francs and procedural costs of 500 francs.
When assessing the amount of the fine, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office is guided by the recommendations of the Swiss Public Prosecutors’ Conference. SBB, Edelweiss and Swiss do not comment on individual cases on their routes, but in general they all note an increase in conflicts.
SBB: “For us, any aggression is one too many”
The SBB media office writes that there is a general bad mood and high irritation in society due to Corona, which is also noticeable on the trains. “For our employees, this leads to very difficult and sometimes stressful discussions. There are also individual cases with very high aggressiveness. For us, any aggression is one too many, »said the media office.
Violence and aggression towards employees are official offenses that will be reported. However, the vast majority of customer contacts are still positive.
There are frequent discussions with passengers about non-compliance with the Covid-19 protective measures.
At the request of SRF, Swiss reported that the number of recalcitrant people in relation to the number of passengers carried on board per 100,000 passengers had increased in the last 12 months. The main reason is the new non-compliance with the Covid 19 protective measures, followed by the disregard of safety rules as well as alcohol and drug consumption and verbal abuse of the staff.
Swiss continues: “The obligation to wear a mask on board is generally well accepted by our passengers. Nevertheless, there are frequent discussions with passengers about non-compliance with the Covid 19 protective measures, which lead to a report to the authorities or to a police presence on the plane.
Both Swiss and SBB have internal contact points that employees can turn to after aggressive situations and receive psychological support there.