Indian entrepreneur and billionaire heiress Vasundhara Oswal has shared a video on social media, claiming she and her family faced racism in Switzerland. In the clip, a neighbour allegedly tells them, "You are not in India," during an argument over the use of a lawn mower outside their home.
Vasundhara Shares Her Experience
Posting the video on Instagram, Vasundhara said the incident happened at around 4 pm on a Thursday when a man came to the gate of her family's home and asked them to stop using a lawn mower.
According to her, there was no public holiday or rule that prevented them from using it at that time.
Sharing the video, she wrote, "When you receive a random man at your house gate demanding that you turn your lawn mower off on a Thursday afternoon as 'you are not in India', you would think this is happening in the USA or the UK, but actually this is happening in Switzerland."
She also claimed the man told them, "You're not in India, we actually respect people here."
Racism Is A Bigger Problem
Vasundhara said the incident was not an isolated one. She claimed her family has lived in Switzerland for the past eight years and has faced racism and xenophobia on several occasions.
"As Indians who have lived in Switzerland for the past 8 years and built one of the largest houses in the country, we are sad to say that racism and xenophobia in Switzerland is at large and is unspoken of," she wrote.
She also alleged that people from different backgrounds and skin tones are often treated unfairly, especially if they are doing better than the average local population.
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Questions Switzerland's Image
Vasundhara questioned whether a country's development should be judged only by its infrastructure.
"You would expect a 'developed' country to have more 'developed' people but actually it's the opposite," she wrote, adding that people's attitudes are just as important as economic progress.
She also claimed that 17% of people living in Switzerland have reported facing racial discrimination, which she said is only slightly lower than the UK. However, she argued that the UK's reporting system for hate crimes is more organised, while many cases in Switzerland are never officially recorded.
Appeals To Indians
Ending her post, Vasundhara urged Indians to think carefully before travelling, studying or settling in Switzerland.
"Please think twice before supporting those that do not support your culture," she wrote, saying she wanted others to be aware of the discrimination her family claims to have faced.
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