Swiss police are investigating the management of a sports store in Davos after it announced it would no longer rent ski equipment to Jewish customers.
The store, in the famous mountain resort of Davos, abandoned the original idea, removing the prohibition signs, written in Hebrew.
Many claim that this is a clear violation of Swiss laws against discrimination and incitement to racial or religious hatred.
The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities launched its own legal action, condemning the store's move, calling it "discriminatory".
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On the posters that were in the window of the sports shop, it was written that due to incidents, including theft, "they no longer rent sports equipment to Jewish brothers".
The management of the store, which is part of the Piša restaurant, stated in the initial announcement that clients often do not return equipment and that its employees no longer want to "struggle" to find skis left on the mountain.
After a series of protests, the posters were removed.
"We condemn all forms of anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination, they do not maintain the position of the city of Davos," Mayor Philip Wilhelm told the media.
The store manager apologized, saying the message on the posters was "poorly worded" and added that Jewish customers were welcome.
But Swiss anti-racism groups point out that attacking an entire racial, religious or ethnic group because of the alleged bad behavior of a few is more serious than a clumsily written message.
They claim that it is about classic racism and discrimination.
A better way to prevent theft and damage to equipment is to retain customer IDs when renting equipment, which many stores already do.
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This is not the first time that there have been problems with Jewish guests in Davos, the city where the World Economic Forum is held every year.
The popular ski resort is increasingly visited by members of the orthodox Jewish community.
The head of the tourist board said that there were guests who behaved rudely towards the hosts.
Recently, a working group was formed to resolve perceived tensions between tourists and hosts.
Both sides confirmed that there were disagreements.
With the rise of anti-Semitism across Europe following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian extremist group Hamas and the war in the Gaza Strip, many consider the sports store's mistake not only stupid, but racist.
Tourists from all over the world visit Davos and other Swiss resorts, but not everyone behaves impeccably.
Russian oligarchs, Arab oil magnates from the Middle East and young bankers from Zurich are known for their wild drug-fueled parties, as are the British who tend to party all night long.
However, the sporting goods store has received the most criticism so far.
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