Letter with forged signature of Erdoğan stirs Swiss controversy

BERN

A fake letter about refugees apparently written by the Zurich police chief and carrying the forged signature of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stirred controversy in Switzerland. 

Euronews reported on Sept. 20 that the letter, which encourages locals to hide refugees in their basements, was found in post boxes of several homes in Zurich.

“Pressures created by new limits on freedoms can force people to leave their countries,” the letter says, adding that locals can get additional revenue by renting out their basements to refugees whose asylum applications were rejected.

The mysterious letter was written under the name of Zurich Security Chief Mario Fehr and carried an image of Erdoğan’s signature.

Zurich Canton’s police spokesperson Carmen Surber told Euronews that the letter was fake.

Swiss officials advised locals to destroy the letter if they receive it.

Police launched an investigation into the incident, as the total number of sent letters was not immediately known.