The Walliserkanne scandal is still the number one topic in Zermatt VS. “I don’t even want to talk about it anymore,” many locals say. They are fed up with the demonstrations and especially with the Freedom Tryps. “They make a lot of noise, nobody is here at all. It’s the middle of the season, the weather is bad, and that’s why there are hardly any tourists there anyway ”, so the tenor.
The majority of the residents and restaurateurs were relieved about the arrest of the landlords on Sunday morning, says a Zermatter to Blick. “We are very happy that we can finally work normally again thanks to the certificate. We have a fantastic winter season ahead of us. The hotels are already well booked, and after two difficult Corona years it is finally a ray of hope that many tourists are coming here. ” The fact that the producers of the Walliserkanne could no longer endanger this season, at least for the time being, made many people in the industry breathe a sigh of relief.
“They never have to worry about money”
Nobody dares to say this out loud. “The operators of the Walliserkanne are very influential,” continues the well-connected villager. “You own shares in several hotels and a climbing hall. They never have to worry about money. Everyone is afraid of the consequences if you talk about them. ”
That is exactly the point why many other restaurant owners would be annoyed about the scandal-beers. «The owners of the Walliserkanne don’t care about money. That didn’t bother them when they had to close for a while due to Corona. They are concerned with the principle, they just want to do their thing, »the source continues. “The other restaurateurs have to earn money and could never afford something like that.”
Bad reviews on tripadvisor
The host family has always had their own views and principles and not only made friends. “A few years ago, the family’s restaurant was redistributed, and from then on things went bad.” Another villager confirms: “Locals didn’t go out to eat there anymore.”
The restaurant has developed into a “tourist trap” in recent years. In fact, you can read many bad reviews on the online platform Tripadvisor – from before the outbreak of the corona pandemic. For example, one guest writes that when the waitress asked, he complained about the quality of the mountain cheese served, and this ultimately led to a loud discussion: “The senior boss yelled at us and threatened us with his fists. If we don’t leave the place immediately, he’ll throw us out. We got scared and left the restaurant. One of the two junior bosses tried to talk to us again outside. We had enough, and besides, it was too dangerous for us. ”
“We just hope that there will be peace soon”
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Walliserkanne platform has been focusing in particular on the subject of Corona, with the comment column now being closed due to current events.
The scandal bar itself was also closed on Monday. How it will go on is still unclear. Another Zermatt man said to Blick: “We just hope that things will calm down soon. That’s not good advertising for us. “
Is Mario Julen now threatened with a complaint?
The Valais entrepreneur and philosopher Mario Julen (58) also hopes. He says: “In the long term, Zermatt will not suffer any damage to its image. In the end, a negative headline is also an advertisement for our village. ” For himself, however, the whole thing could possibly have consequences.
The mountain guide said on Sunday that the arrest of the host family was extremely violent. One day after the allegations of violence, the Valais canton police announced: “We distance ourselves in all forms from these allegations. The use of the police proceeded proportionally. In this context, we are currently looking into taking legal action. ”
The host family themselves could not be reached to comment on Blick on Monday. According to the co-president of the skeptics movement “Mass-Voll”, Nicolas Rimoldi, the three arrested, Ivan A. and his parents, would still be in custody. The Lucerne resident wrote on Twitter: “According to the family’s lawyer, the freedom heroes of Zermatt will be in custody until at least the end of the week.” He therefore called for a rally again on Monday evening.