Nancy Holten, 42, moved to Switzerland from the Netherlands when she was eight. She has two kids who are Swiss citizens. She attempted to obtain a Swiss passport of her own, but she was rejected by the residents committee in Gipf-Oberfrick in the canton of Aargau, who have a say in citizen applications that are submitted.
Holten, who is a vegan and an animal rights campaigner, has gained an unfavorable reputation in the area. This is because of her stance on the local use of cowbells, which she says harms cows’ health. She has also campaigned against piglet racing and hunting, as well as the noise that the church bells in town make.
When the time came for residents to decide on whether or not she should become naturalized Swiss, they decided no.
This was her second attempt to become naturalized. The first attempted was in 2015, and authorities approved her application. However, 144 out of 206 village residents rejected it. In November, her second attempt was rejected.
Holten has appealed the decision and the provincial government will decide what to do next. If they wanted to, they could overturn the locals’ vote.
She said people think she’s attacking local traditions. She added that what motivated her about the cowbells was the welfare of the animals. Residents said Holten was so vocal about the issue and she regularly made comments to the media. One political figure said Holten had a big mouth and residents wouldn’t support her citizenship.
