“ETHZ & NAZI”. Last week, anonymous posters appeared on the walls of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich comparing the institution to the Nazi regime in capital letters. Anger is also brewing on social networks. Gathered on the Reddit platform, Chinese students say they are victims of discrimination. At issue: new admission rules published at the end of October. The university wants to subject applicants from 23 high-risk countries to an enhanced security test. The list includes states under international sanctions, such as Russia, Iran and Pakistan. China represents the largest group in Zurich with 1362 people who studied or obtained their doctorate last year.
On condition of anonymity, a Chinese student assures that most of his compatriots living in Zurich only dream of a better future for themselves and their families. “We do not want to be assimilated to the Chinese government,” the young man tells the German-speaking site Nau. The student diaspora fears they will no longer be able to study or conduct research in the prestigious establishment. The protest is also taking place in the political arena. Asked by the media, the Chinese embassy in Bern said it was “shocked” by the strengthening of the measures: “We hope that the ETHZ will correct these bad practices as quickly as possible.” However, the diplomatic representation does not call into question scientific cooperation with Switzerland.
The ETHZ rejects these accusations
Faced with these virulent criticisms, the polytechnic school defends itself from any discriminatory policy. “No one is excluded from studies at the EPF because of their origin,” says the communications service at Daily Gazette. The system aims to prevent espionage attempts in a degraded international context, particularly due to the development of technologies which could benefit from a military application. In addition to origin, the ETH Zurich points to three other criteria that could lead to rejection: passage to a military university, a scholarship coming from “dubious sources” or a sensitive area of research.
According to the Federal Intelligence Service, the country’s universities are a prime target for espionage and attempts at foreign interference.
