Zurich housing crisis: CDU abused Lara Stoll’s Instagram post

ThoseInterview with Lara Stoll –

“When I read the comments, I felt sick.”

The Swiss slam poet and actress published a video of her apartment search. It attracts attention worldwide – the CDU even uses it as election advertising.

BotTalk

Ms. Stoll, you published a short video on your Instagram channel that has received huge attention. How did this come about?

I’m currently looking for an apartment in Zurich and have seen a cheap offer. An hour before the appointment there was a long queue, which I filmed in a short sequence. I then posted the excerpt online. The “Blick” wrote an article about it, and later a regional section of the CDU posted the video on its channel with the claim: You can see where it leads when too many people immigrate.

What does the German CDU care about the housing shortage in Zurich?

The CDU people claim that the video was taken in Germany and that the people in line are immigrants. In reality, they were mostly Swiss. By the way, there was no anger or anger among those waiting, but rather a relaxed, somewhat ironic mood.

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What happened then?

Although the video is only a short pan, it has been viewed over four million times so far. It now appears in several foreign channels, even Russian ones. The crude racist comments that have come together in such a short space of time are horrific. I felt sick as I started reading and deleting them. I have now deactivated the comment function on my Instagram account. Apparently the images triggered very strong emotions in a lot of people.

Which ones exactly?

Hatred against foreigners who are accused of being responsible for the housing crisis. Or displeasure that you have to wait in line so long to view an affordable apartment. Or a lack of understanding towards people who want to live in Zurich. But these aren’t the first pictures of long queues for apartment viewings. The fact that such recordings are going through the roof right now shows how charged the topic of high rents is.

Will this experience change your social media activity?

I’ve never experienced anything like this before and I have to say: it’s very bad when it happens to you. Also how useless the attempts are to get the whole thing back under control. For example, I wrote to the relevant section of the CDU and asked them to delete the posting. I think they then blocked me so I can no longer see the story. But my bubble told me that it was still online, whereupon I made a reel and pointed out that the CDU was misusing the video for their own purposes. But it can no longer be contained anyway. I usually use my Instagram channel to promote my performances, that’s it. And I will continue to do that. The thought of what can be seen and how it could possibly be “reused” by others will probably already be in the back of your mind from now on.

That High-earning expats compete with locals in the housing marketespecially in a city like Zurich, cannot be disputed.

That’s how it is, yes. But if you need and hire skilled workers, you can’t complain if these people also need an apartment. And it is certainly not a reason for racist comments.

Do you perceive the housing shortage in your area as a major problem?

Yes, I know a lot of people who are also looking. One of my colleagues was devastated when she was recently laid off.

How long will it take until you get tired of long queues and give up looking for an apartment in Zurich?

It’s not like I have to move out of my current apartment near Winterthur any time soon. So I can take my time. The situation in Zurich is so extreme at the moment that you don’t have much choice but to take it with humor. I won’t give up, I’m too stubborn for that.

Was there also a bit of thought behind publishing the video: I can use my celebrity bonus and increase the chances of getting an offer?

No, I haven’t thought about something like that for a second, I’m not like that. Many others in line were also filming or taking photos.