Basel is cracking the whip. Measures against non-EU musicians, outlined on Slipped Disc three weeks ago, have been reinforced with expulsion orders, to take effect next summer. The musicians are working in local orchestras and ensembles. Read here.
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That’s very bad news for the quality of music in Basel……
Norman: The article in question should be criticized by people who understand German. The question is about places of business given to members from “Dittstaaten” (Third countries); in Switzerland this does not only affect musicians. And it does not touch those other foreigners (without migration background etc.) who have official working permits or legal places of business. Later on the article mentions that social solutions are now being organized for 18 refugee musicians who came to Switzerland before 2011, they will obtain an exceptional enduring working permit. We too, we have our strict (and sometimes absurd) laws, but having a look at US restrictions against foreigners, we Swiss can consider ourselves as being a paradise. We are quite a smaller country than the USA, but much more humanitarian as far as migration problems are concerned. However, we too, we must put some limitations, considering the great flow of (more or less) political refugees who come over two Switzerland every year. “Drittstaaten” citizens are permitted to live in Switzerland only under certain conditions (partial/limited permits), and I seems that the Basle orchestra management has not respected them, so the musicians were staying a longer period per year than it was allowed. Last but not least, the article says that it will “no longer” be possible for such foreigners to find working places, so that it’s for the immediate future.
Just a small incident: A friend of mine, who is a computer musician and organizes concert sessions with his instalments in all over the world, got lately an engagement for a US music festival, so he took the plane and landed in the USA. The migration officer refused him to enter, so he had to fly back tu Zurich, and this without having been told exactly why. It seems that the US Government has the power to send back whoever he wants, without explanation. My friend is still trying to find a reason for this absolutely arrogant attitude towards a free citizen of this world, with an absolutely clean record… Perhaps they just saw a Russian visa in his passport and saw Red.