Group for a Switzerland without an Army

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The Group for a Switzerland without an Army (GSwA; German: Gruppe für eine Schweiz ohne Armee, GSoA; French: Groupe pour une Suisse sans Armée, GSsA

[edit] Presentation

The Group was created in Solothurn on 12 September 1982 by around 100 people, and has grown to approximately 25,000 members, consisting largely of pacifists. The group is politically active and spreads awareness of its cause in several ways:

practical information, such as the alternative of Swiss Civilian Service, often opted for by conscientious objectors
legal information
news, covering subjects such as equipment sales
merchandise

[edit] Initiatives and referendums

In early 1986, the group launched its first initiative, named "Für eine Schweiz ohne Armee und für eine umfassende Friedenspolitik" (For a Switzerland without an army and an overall peaceful political stance), which gathered 111,300 signatures (100,000 were required to initiate a vote). On 26 November 1989, 68.6% of eligible voters cast their ballot, resulting in 1,052,218 (35.6%) votes for the motion.