[Nettime-bold] Irony still lives (was Re: Black Unicorn: Reflections on "HighConcept, Low Tech," Martial Law, the new Paper Gauntlet and the changingmeaning of 911.)

["R. A. Hettinga" <rah@shipwright.com>]

At 11:03 PM -0400 on 9/27/01, R. A. Hettinga, channelling Charles Platt, wrote:


> Call it the
> "Swiss Mindset." Everyone armed to the teeth, trained and ready to respond
> to any trespass with a massive display of force.

Funny you should say that. [I like the Swiss idea, too, minus the forced
conscription. A BAR above every mantle, and all that. However...]

http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1566000/1566321.stm


Thursday, 27 September, 2001, 18:47 GMT 19:47 UK
Gunman kills 14 in Swiss assembly

Ten people were injured, eight of them critically

A gunman has gone on the rampage in a regional parliament in central
Switzerland, killing at least 14 people before committing suicide.

He started firing all around for several minutes. It was really terrible

Eyewitness
Ten others were injured when Friedrich Leibacher, 57, burst into the
assembly session disguised as a police officer.

He opened fire with an assault rifle and a pistol. Eight of them remain in
a critical condition

The attack took place at the regional parliament building in the town of
Zug, 25 km (16 miles) south of Zurich, at 1030 (0830 GMT) on Thursday.

Police say he detonated an explosive device before turning his gun on himself.

Leibacher, who had been embroiled in a long-running dispute with the local
authorities, left behind a confession note describing his actions as a "Day
of rage for the Zug mafia".

'Execution'

Officials dived behind desks as Leibacher opened fire.

Witnesses reported there was blood everywhere and one member of parliament
compared it to an execution.

Flags will fly at half-mast for three days

"I was just outside the door of the parliament when he came in with a
rifle, with several pistols and with what I think was a hand grenade," one
eyewitness told Reuters news agency.

"He started firing all around for several minutes. It was really terrible."

The guns used by Leibacher are standard issue weapons which Swiss nationals
have to keep in case of call up.

Grudge

Leibacher appears to have formed a grudge against local authorities after
he became involved in a dispute with bus drivers and transport officials.

Parliament was suspended as deputies heard the news

One government official, Robert Bisig - who was a particular target of
Leibacher's - told a press conference that a court had this week dismissed
seven suits brought by Leibacher against the authorities.

Leibacher is thought to have held Mr Bisig personally responsible for legal
action which local transport authorities had brought against him.

The Swiss President Mortiz Leuenberger has ordered all flags to fly at half
mast for three days. The national parliament in Bern was suspended when
deputies received the news.

Although violent crime is extremely rare in Switzerland, gun ownership is
widespread due to the obligation to carry out military service and the
popularity of shooting as a sport.

There are only minimal controls at public buildings but the President of
the House of Representatives, Peter Hess, has said that may now need to be
reviewed.


--
-----------------
R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'


-- 
-----------------
R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'


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