Vegan wins battle to be accepted by Swiss army

Published: 19 Oct 2016 11:31 GMT+02:00

A Swiss man who was told he would not be accepted for military service because of his strict veganism has finally succeeded in making the army change its mind.

Antoni Da Campo, a strict vegan and member of Swiss animal rights organization PEA, was keen to undertake his obligatory military service and last December passed all the medical and physical tests required by the army.

But he was declared “unfit” for service because the army felt it could not accommodate his vegan diet or his refusal to wear leather boots – despite the fact he had offered to pay for synthetic boots.

Speaking to The Local earlier this year, Da Campo said: "They declared me doubly unacceptable, meaning that I can't do civil service either. It's for that reason that I find their decision discriminatory and arbitrary”.

As a result, he would have to pay a tax on his income until the age of 30 instead of serving.

Unwilling to accept the army’s stance, Da Campo took his case to a Lausanne appeal court in March – and lost.

He then appealed a second time to the Federal Administrative Court, arguing that the army’s decision went against his human right to maintain his personal convictions.

In a statement sent to The Local on Wednesday, Da Campo said he argued there was no legal basis for declaring a person unfit for military service simply because of his veganism.

Demanding he pay a tax because of his philosophical beliefs constituted a discrimination and violated the principle of proportionality, he said.

The court ordered the two parties to discuss the matter further between themselves, and as a result, the army decided to change its mind and has now declared Da Campo “fit” for service,  he said.

"There are more and more vegans in our society and I am happy to see that the army, like all public institutions, chooses to adapt itself to this reality” said Da Campo.

“Vegans should enjoy the same rights and duties as other citizens and not be forced to pay a tax just because they refuse to put [on] boots that involved the killing of animals."

Judge Gunned Down in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Federal judge Vicente Antonio Bermudez Zacharias has been assassinated outside of his home in Metepec town in the central State of Mexico, and the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR) has assumed the investigation into the murder.

Bermudez, 37, was the fifth district judge of Amparo and presided over federal civil trials based in Toluca since December 2013. He was attacked on Monday morning and died from single gunshot wound, official sources told EFE.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has condemned the murder while leading the annual meeting of the International Association of Judges and ordered the PGR to take charge of the investigation and find the perpetrators.

The PGR announced that based on the rules of competency established by the National Code of Criminal Procedures, the office will take on the investigation into the homicide of federal judge Antonio Vicente Bermudez Zacharias.

“From this moment, the delegation of the PGR in the State of Mexico will continue with all the investigations,” the PGR said in a statement.

The Supreme Court of Justice also condemned the crime, demanding that authorities investigate and resolve the case, as well as ensure “conditions of security and tranquility” so that judges can continue to carry out their work independently.

Meanwhile, State of Mexico Governor Eruviel Avila revealed the existence of a video showing the attack on Judge Bermudez, while giving the federal government full support to investigate the crime and find those responsible.

The video was later broadcast by local media, with footage showing the judge jogging on the street on Monday when a person suddenly appears behind him and shoots him in the head.

Bermudez presided over controversial cases including that of indigenous environmental activist Ildefonso Zamora, who endured 9 months in jail for his alleged involvement in a robbery but was released by Bermudez last June amid insufficient evidence.

Vigilante Mexican Group Amputates Hands of 6 Suspected Thieves, Kills 1

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Six suspected robbers were left with mutilated hands and one person has died in attacks by the self-proclaimed vigilante “Grupo de Elite antirratas,” or Anti-criminal Elite Group, in Tlaquepaque municipality of the western Mexican state of Jalisco, municipal police reported.

According to the ongoing investigation under Tlaquepaque Police Commander Eduardo Palacios, the victims may have been kidnapped before their mutilation.

One of the victims was found dead next to a sign with a handwritten message that read, “This is what happens to thieves” as a warning for burglars, car and motorcycles thieves, as well as those who attack pedestrians.

The other six victims, including one woman, were found with their hands cut off up to their wrists, presumably with machetes.

In addition to the amputation wounds, which were covered with plastic, various parts of the victims’ bodies were painted with the word “Rat.”

Palacios said that none of the wounded gave more information since they “were in shock” after what had happened.

The assailants left the hands cut off from the seven people in two plastic bags left next to them.

The injured were taken to different hospitals in the metropolitan city of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco.

Farrakhan Unleashes on Obama and his Failed Legacy

Peruvian Government Burns 7.7 Tons of Seized Drugs

LIMA – Peruvian authorities on Tuesday burned 7.7 tons of drugs seized in recent months in the first such operation since President Pedro Pablo Kuczinski took office on July 28.

Interior Minister Carlos Basombrio oversaw the drugs’ incineration at the National Police Special Forces base in Lima’s Ate district.

“This first ceremony is a symbol of the successes in the war on drugs,” Basombrio said, adding that the incineration was carried out “with a system providing all safety guarantees.”

“This is the first incineration of drugs under this administration,” the interior minister said. “It is part of the very difficult fight against drug trafficking.”

“We know well the destructive power, the corrosive power, the damage that drug trafficking causes to society. Our country produces the raw materials for drugs and increasingly produces the drugs themselves,” Basombrio said.

“It is a titanic effort required day after day to try and corner this scourge that moves huge fortunes around the world,” Basombrio said.

The drugs burned were seized by the National Police in raids across Peru and included cocaine, marijuana, opium latex and opium poppies.

The illegal drugs were seized between July and October “after the last incineration, in June of this year,” the Interior Ministry said.

The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Interior Minister Ruben Vargas; National Police chief Vicente Romero; and representatives of the courts, prosecutor’s office and other agencies involved in the war on drugs

Man dressed as Batman chases ‘killer clowns’ in Cumbria

A“killer clown” craze is sweeping Britain, with police warning people against dressing as clowns in order to intimidate or harm people.

Now, the craze has taken a change for the strange in Cumbria, where a man is dressing as Batman and vowing to chase down the creepy clowns.

A photograph has been shared on Facebook of “Batman” seemingly chasing off a “killer clown”.

Plenty of Fish dating site rapist jailed

 

• 8 hours ago
 
• From the sectionNorfolk

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Image copyrightNORFOLK POLICE

Image captionDave Wilby's victim had refused to meet him for a drink

A man who raped a mother in her own home after contacting her on dating website Plenty of Fish has been jailed for 12 years.

Dave Wilby, 35, went to the address in Swaffham, Norfolk, after she had refused to meet him for a drink.

He pushed his way inside and attacked the woman while her children were upstairs, hours after first exchanging messages online.

Wilby, of Montagu Close, Swaffham, had denied rape but was found guilty.

He had described himself as a "nice, honest, decent guy" on his profile, police said.

The two had been chatting on the site during the afternoon of 28 December when Wilby suggested they meet for a drink.

The victim refused, but Wilby continued to message and, at around 19:00 GMT in the evening, he knocked at the front door and said "It's me from Plenty of Fish."

She asked him to leave on a number of occasions but he eventually raped her in the lounge.

He left the house after being disturbed by one of the victim's children who had been upstairs.

'Horrendous attack'

Wilby was arrested the following day and was found guilty at Norwich Crown Court in July following a five-day trial.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Det Con Amy Beck from Norfolk Police said: "This was a horrendous attack on a woman who was in the safety of her own home.

"It has had a profound impact on the victim who had no intention of meeting with Wilby that evening.

"What makes this case even more shocking is the fact Wilby committed the offence knowing the victim's children were upstairs

"Such a stranger attack is extremely rare in Norfolk and we would like to commend the victim for the bravery she has shown throughout this investigation."