# Dutch vegan denied passport in Switzerland for being "too annoying" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 14, 2017, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810 "2017-02-14T13:00:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/1 "2017-02-14T13:00:16Z")
Sounds like something out of “The Onion”, but it seems to be true (at least there are several different sources). It happened about a month ago, but I haven’t seen it mentioned here, and I thought that it was deserving 🙂 Some necessary background: Apparently, in Switzerland, when somebody wants to become a Swiss citizen, among other things they poll their neighbors and other members of the community where that person lives to see if they object to them being granted Swiss citizenship. So, yeah – this lady’s application got nixed because her neighbors really really really found her annoying 🙂 Links to the news from different places: [Yahoo News](https://ca.news.yahoo.com/swiss-town-denies-passport-to-dutch-vegan-because-she-is-annoying-125316437.html). [“The Independent” (UK newspaper)](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/switzerland-deny-passport-dutch-vegan-anti-cowbell-nancy-holten-animal-rights-annoying-a7520991.html). [“The Local” (Swiss site, in English)](http://www.thelocal.ch/20170109/annoying-anti-cow-bell-campaigner-denied-swiss-passport). [“24 heures”, Swiss site (in French)](http://www.24heures.ch/suisse/enervante-droit-passeport-suisse/story/20130303). ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/2 "2017-02-14T13:17:51Z")
So she protests cowbells? I’m disappointed none of the articles interviewed Bruce Dickenson and Blue Oyster Cult for their take on the matter. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/3 "2017-02-14T13:32:58Z")
She must be against the rearing of livestock, the making of chocolate and cheese and the exploitation of small wooden birds in timepieces (I know that cuckoo-clocks are actually from the Black Forest and Swabia…don’t get technical) This is Switzerland. She shouldn’t be surprised that people will find her views annoying. She’s pretty much opposed to everything that defines the Swiss. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/4 "2017-02-14T13:42:43Z")
Well, she _looks_ annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/5 "2017-02-14T13:54:28Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Well, she _looks_ annoying. That was my immediate thought. Plus, she is interfering with the pig racing, so off to the Swiss equivalent of Gitmo for her. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/6 "2017-02-14T13:59:31Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Well, she _looks_ annoying. And she looks way older than 42. Doesn’t make a good argument for veganism. 😃 Did she ever think that a cowbell may be heavy around her scrawny neck but when you put it on a 1000 lb+ animal, it’s not that heavy? Iagree with her neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/7 "2017-02-14T14:00:33Z")
From what I understand, the Swiss are very… concerned… about maintaining their traditional culture and are not very receptive to changes proposed by outsiders. And the lady is _clearly_ an outsider, what with having only been living there since she was 8. And of course, no one likes a busybody poking their nose into other folks’ business and telling them they suck. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/8 "2017-02-14T19:10:24Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > And she looks way older than 42. Doesn’t make a good argument for veganism. 😃 > > Did she ever think that a cowbell may be heavy around her scrawny neck but when you put it on a 1000 lb+ animal, it’s not that heavy? > > Iagree with her neighbors. The photos I saw showed cowbells of unusual size. Also, in the photos I saw, she looked younger than 42 and just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/9 "2017-02-14T21:09:26Z")
> [@](#): > > “The law states that freedom of expression must not have any negative consequences,” she told The Local. Does she understand Swiss law correctly? No negative consequences? I’m thinking she may be confused. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/10 "2017-02-14T21:22:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Ms Holten, who describes herself as a freelance journalist, model and **drama student** , has also campaigned against a number of other Swiss traditions like hunting, pig races and the noisy church bells in town. I think she misspelled ‘queen’. Honestly from the title I was expecting the objections were due to her being one of the outspoken, judgemental vegans. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dutch-vegan-denied-passport-in-switzerland-for-being-too-annoying/779810/11 "2017-02-15T01:01:56Z")
I had always heard that it was very difficult to become a Swiss citizen. “Annoying” is as good a reason as any to deny it. First you have to be accepted by your community. This is then rubber-stamped by the canton and then the federal government. But the community is the first obstacle.