No Zionist congress celebrations in Basel due to lack of time
The 120-year celebrations of the Zionist congress in Basel planned for late August 2017 will not go ahead. The government reached this conclusion on the basis of a report by the project management. In a statement, the government said it "deeply regrets" this decision since it is aware of the importance of the event.
There was no time to clarify important questions before the date, organised for late August, Basel’s government stated on Friday.
Basel’s government pointed out in February the necessary large-scale security preparations and time management for the event to Switzerland’s Federal government (which had informed them about the jubilee in the first place). Now, it has turned down the plans following a report written by the cantonal project management team.
First and foremost, there was not enough time to prepare the cantonal police and other security authorities for the grand event, they said. Also, it would be “difficult to leave the public uninformed for much longer,” the government explains as a reason for the cancellation.
According to a spokesperson, the government personally informed the Israeli ambassador about their decision on Thursday. He was apparently disappointed.
The Zionist congress is an important part of history both for Israel and Basel. It originally took place in 1897. The Zionist World Organisation (WZO) had at the time been founded with the goal of forming a Jewish state in Palestine.
A later date is possible
The government states that it is "well aware" of the importance of the celebrations and deeply regrets the cancellation. If the project management team aims for a later date to celebrate in Basel, the city’s authorities would be open to that. Then, “all the parameters would need to be defined in time.”
Basel’s government stated in March that the security costs alone are estimated at ten million Swiss francs. This estimation was partly based on experience: In 1997, a large celebration to commemorate the 100-year jubilee had been organised in Basel with more than 1000 invited guests and corresponding security measures.
The 100-year jubilee, however, had been launched by Basel itself and been under the patronage of the canton. Therefore, Basel had also been responsible for the planning and costs. This time, a private organisation is managing the event.
Swiss crime tourist caught on bus leaving for Germany
Swiss people can also be crime tourists. One of them was caught this week in Weil am Rhein near Basel leaving on a bus to Germany. He is now in prison.
The 25-year-old Swiss citizen was not only wanted for arrest but was also not allowed to travel to Germany, the Federal police inspection of Weil am Rhein informed on Friday. The foreign office in Freiburg deported the man with a court decision and declared that he was not allowed to enter Germany for ten years.
The man had been convicted of armed robbery in 2014, and sent to prison for one year and five months. The Swiss citizen was also wanted for arrest in Rostock due to three cases of theft and fare evasion in twelve cases.
According to the German authorities, the man has been living on the streets both in Switzerland and in Germany for many years. He was caught on a bus leaving for Northern Germany on Wednesday evening.
Actor Bruno Ganz is guest of honour at Bildrausch Filmfest in Basel
The Bildrausch Filmfest in Basel is small but nice. This year’s seventh festival has the topic arthouse cinema and features VIPs: Swiss actor Bruno Ganz is a guest, and Philippine director and Locarno winner Lav Diaz is part of the jury.
The festival, which runs from 21st to 25th June, shows 13 films in an international competition. Sally Potter’s chamber play “The Party” featuring Bruno Ganz, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emily Mortimer in the main roles is among the movies. The British director’s dark comedy was shown at the Berlinale as part of the international competition and now celebrates its Swiss premiere in Basel. Bruno Ganz will be present at the screening on 24th June.
Further films of the competition are Terence Davies’ “A Quiet Passion”, a movie memorial for the poet Emily Dickinson. Cynthia Nixon (“Sex and the City”) performs in the main role. The film will be screened with Davies present. The director is additionally paid homage with five of his films created between 1983 and 2015.
Further special programs are dedicated to Portuguese filmmaker Teresa Villaverde, video artist Bill Viola as well as crossover artist Tony Conrad. Jury president Lav Diaz, who won the Golden Leopard in Locarno in 2014 and the Golden Lion in Venice in 2016, also has a film running at the festival: His Venice winner “The Woman Who Left”.
The Bildrausch Filmfest attracted about 3,000 visitors in former years. The films will be screened in Stadtkino and kult.kino atelier.