Its not so easy to get the citizenship of Switzerland; for the rich (especially in countries like India), its a matter of pride if you have a Swiss passport. But this woman, despite having all the legal documents, could not get the Swiss passport. And the reason is that she is ‘annoying’ and doesn’t respect Swiss traditions.
42-year old Nancy Holten was born in the Netherlands but has lived in Switzerland since she was 8. Her children have Swiss citizenship, and even she wanted Swiss citizenship. But her application was rejected a second time.
The residents of Gipf-Oberfrick, who had input on Holten’s application, didn’t want to give her the “gift” of Swiss citizenship. In some Swiss municipalities, locals cast votes when a person applies for a passport, reports the Independent.
Here are the reasons provided by the locals, who are complaining against Holten:
- “She annoys us and doesn’t respect our traditions”
- She campaigned against cowbells, which she says are too loud and heavy to be humanely draped on cows.
- She has spoken out against hunting and racing piglets.
A spokesman for the Gipf-Oberfrick administration says that voters didn’t reject her application because she’s against cowbells, but because she’s against them so vocally.
Nancy Holten says she isn’t “attacking traditions” but is keen on animal welfare. Holten has appealed the decision.
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