Anna Rosenwasser on male violence "On evenings like this, I let go of my girlfriend's hand on the streetcar"
Anna Rosenwasser, SP National Councillor and well-known voice of the LGBTQ+ community, talks about the differences between football matches and Taylor Swift concerts at Letzigrund stadium in Zurich. An interview.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Anna Rosenwasser took to Instagram this week to discuss major events at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich.
- The SP National Councillor and queer activist reflects on why events with a female majority are more peaceful and what could be done to ensure greater safety at major events.
- "As normal as it is for alcoholized men to make a neighborhood unsafe, it's just as normal to ridicule any passion of young women - whether it's Taylor Swift's music or a love of horses," says Rosenwasser in an interview with blue News.
Anna Rosenwasser, you posted the following text on Instagram this week: "Big night out in Letzi with a male majority: violence, alcohol abuse, the whole neighborhood unhappy. Big night in Letzi with a female majority: everything stays peaceful, people have cuti outifts. Guess which alas I'm making fun of more." I assume your post is about the AC/DC and Taylor Swift concerts that recently took place at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich. Is that right?
Yes and no.
But?
I wrote my post after reading in the newspaper how much less alcohol is consumed by the audience at Taylor Swift concerts compared to other concerts and football matches.
Were you at the Taylor Swift and AC/DC concerts?
I was able to watch part of Taylor Swift 's second concert from outside the stadium. I watched as people left the Letzi afterwards. I also know the area around the football stadium well because I lived there for a long time.
So you know what can happen there before, during and after events?
That's right. As a Zurich resident, I'm still a regular visitor to the Altstetten district, partly because friends of mine live there. I also go to the sports club there regularly.
What exactly did you want to say with your Instagram post?
I wanted to draw attention to events that are mostly attended by very drunk men. And I'm explicitly not just talking about a beer - that's why I deliberately wrote about alcohol abuse in my post. Such events have a negative impact on the sense of safety of minoritized people - both women and queer people.
Are you speaking from your own experience?
Absolutely. I still remember when I lived next to the Letzigrund stadium how I let go of my girlfriend's hand on such evenings in the streetcar to be on the safe side.
Is it these drunken men who have now also ridiculed the Swifties?
That's the second topic of my Instagram post. As normal as it is for drunken men to make a neighborhood unsafe, it's just as normal to ridicule any passion of young women - whether it's Taylor Swift's music or a love of horses.
What do you think it would take for all major events at the Letzigrund to be as chilled out as Taylor Swift's two concerts?
The answer to this question is complex. I simply ask myself: how can it happen that a Taylor Swift concert with 50,000 predominantly female fans at the Letzi is largely peaceful, whereas when men are in the majority at concerts or football matches, there is much more violence?
Could a ban on alcohol in the Letzigrund stadium be a solution?
The issue is far too big for mere bans to be the solution.
So alcohol is not the sole scapegoat?
Of course, I am always in favor of our society having a healthier relationship with alcohol. That would certainly help to solve the problem. Excessive alcohol consumption is a problem that affects all levels of our society.
Perhaps the organizers should take the values of rugby as an example?
I don't know the values of rugby very well. Does this sport have a more peaceful fan base? Or what do you mean by that?
Many players have chosen this team sport precisely because of rugby's culture of mutual acceptance and diversity.
All I can say is that I wish fan communities would focus more on fairness and solidarity. Not least when it comes to events that are attended by many people.
Do you want to pursue the issue further or possibly submit a political initiative?
My post on Instagram was a short comment. For a political initiative, I would have to look into the topic in more depth and also talk to experts about it.
