For decades Switzerland has been perceived as Europe’s most stable country, with its picture-perfect Alpine vistas, private banking vaults and neutral status during conflict.
It has long appeared immune to the rising social and political tensions its French, German and Italian neighbours – and increasingly the UK – have been grappling with.
But that perception was shattered this week – after the death of 17-year-old Marvin ‘Shalom’ Manzila in Lausanne sparked rioting that exposed bitter social divisions that have been quietly festering there without coming to the attention of the wider world.
Lausanne police, called to reports of a stolen motor scooter, soon identified Manzila as a suspect – and gave chase when he refused to pull over.
During the pursuit that followed, the boy lost control of the vehicle and was flung into a nearby wall, suffering a fatal head injury.
Marvin’s violent death in the early hours of last Sunday morning marked a final straw for many of those living in the city’s multicultural neighbourhood Prélaz and soon the demonstrations turned to rioting.
The Daily Mail today reveals for the first time Manzila’s identity, along with unseen images of him, and pieces together the back story of the boy whose death caused Lausanne to erupt in violence.
And we can reveal that – for all the talk in the country about immigration that his death has inspired – Marvin was actually born in Switzerland.
Riots erupted in Lausanne, Switzerland, last week following the death of 17-year-old rapper Marvin Shalom Manzila
Marked out lines on the floor show the path Marvin took on his scooter before crashing into the wall
A young person walks past fires in a street, in Lausanne, on August 25, 2025, following Marvin’s death
Protesters burn containers during the second night of riots following the fatal accident involving a minor on a scooter in Lausanne, Switzerland, 25 August 2025
His birth certificate shows he was born in the country on 13 July 2008, to parents of Congolese descent but who had been granted Swiss citizenship, the youngest of three brothers.
He and his brothers grew up in the family home near the city’s Cathedral, his mother a social care worker, his father in the medical sector, with an apparently stable upbringing – the couple having celebrated 30 years together recently.
Having failed to find lasting employment after leaving school and had been due to start a so-called Semester of Motivation (SeMo) – a semi-mandatory national training service for the unemployed – next Monday, eight days after he died.
But perhaps the reason he was seen as needing state-provided motivation was that his real interest was in rap music.
Marvin seems to have been spending his unemployed days making music, under his stage name MNS, and posting the results on YouTube or Instagram.
Whether he had stolen the scooter remains unclear – his family insist he hadn’t.
Speaking to the newspaper, his distraught mother insisted: ‘My son wasn’t a scooter thief. He wasn’t a bandit, he wasn’t known to the law. He was never a complicated child. He was stable.
‘We didn’t see a scooter stolen from home. There was a group effect. They passed this scooter around among the kids.
‘Who brought this scooter? We don’t know. Talking about it makes my stomach ache.’
And she insisted that any suggestion Marvin came from a broken home were completely untrue, saying: ‘I work, my husband works. We are integrated in Switzerland.
‘We are a practicing Christian family. There is a framework. If our children don’t come home, we call them.’
On Friday night, a service in memory of Marvin was held at the local Catholic Church.
Marvin’s mother and father were there, sitting together united in their grief amongst hundreds of heartbroken friends and family.
The hall of the local Catholic Church was packed full as they listened to stories about the teenager.
It was clear from the turnout that Marvin and his family are well-loved members of their community.
We spoke to friends of Marvin who all echoed his mother’s insistence that he had been a decent boy.
We found Anania, who says she was Marvin’s best friend, sitting on a bench watching people visit the memorial of flowers and other tributes that has sprung up at the spot where he died.
Riot police clashed with around 200 protesters in the neighbourhood of Prélaz on August 25
Damage on the main street in Prélaz almost a week on from the riots following Marvin’s death
Marvin’s real interest was in building his rap career under his stage name MNS, and posting the results on YouTube or Instagram.
Dozens of flowers, candles, letters and pictures of Marvin have gathered in the spot where he died
Marvin’s mother is comforted by a friend as she attends a memorial service for her son
His friend group is still coming to terms with their sudden loss and can’t believe their friend, who was ‘always smiling’ is no longer here, she said.
‘He was a very nice boy, everyday he was smiling,’ Anania told us.
Another friend Vesa added: ‘He had the best smile ever. He was the nicest guy. This is all really hard.’
Altuna, who also knew Marvin, told us: ‘I don’t know what to say. This is an awful tragedy. He was a good boy.
‘He was very respectful and he was too young to die. He shouldn’t have died because of the police.’
Another friend, Medina, agreed: ‘We are sad and angry with the police, with what happened. He did not deserve it.’
This final sentiment is one that has been echoed by many, particularly among migrant communities, across Switzerland. There is great anger at the police.
The tragedy surrounding Marvin’s death has sparked a wider conversation about Swiss Police’s attitude – especially towards minorities.
The self-styled rapper is the third person of non-Swiss ethnicity to die during a police operation in the pretty lakeside city in just three months.
In June this year, a 14-year-old girl named Camila, of Portuguese descent, also died in a similar incident, crashing while she was on a scooter being chased by police.
That same month, the death of a young Nigerian man being held in police custody sparked protests with police officers in the canton of the Vaud being branded racist.
And that’s why when news of Marvin’s death emerged on there were protests so quickly in one of the poorer quarters of the wealthy city of Lausanne – and quickly turned to violence.
Between 150 and 200 of those protesting are thought to have been involved in the violence that broke out around 9.30pm.
Some wearing masks threw Molotov cocktails. Bins were set on fire, as well as a bus belonging to Lausanne’s transport company.
The next evening, the chaos continued as anger continued unabated.
Police officers were pelted with stones with the 140 cops retaliating with tear gas and rubber bullets.
But in perhaps a peculiarly Swiss way, the riot was focused solely on the authorities.
Unlike what might be expected during civil disorder, the violence did not impact any local businesses.
A mother-of-three visits the memorial to Marvin, fearing for her children’s safety in the city
A passer-by pays his respects to the teenager, reading the letters written about Marvin
Oliver Phan Sy, who lives in the flats directly above the scene of the accident, told the Daily Mail: ‘This neighbourhood is very cosmopolitan, and everyone lives in harmony together
No shop fronts were smashed in and no businesses were looted. Just the police and the authorities bore the brunt.
Almost a week on from those two nights of violence, most of the damage has been cleared up, with burn marks on the tarmac and missing glass at a bus stop the only visible legacy.
But people are still angry, with a long stream of mourners visiting the memorial where he died, many in tears all week.
And Marvin’s death comes at a tense time for the local police force, who are currently battling allegations of racism, sexism and discrimination.
Four police officers have been suspended after two WhatsApp groups of up to 48 officers reportedly shared images and messages deemed racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, homophobic, and discriminatory to those with disabilities.
Meanwhile, a complaint was filed against an officer who is said to have taken a picture and placed a thumbs up in front of a memorial for the Nigerian man who died in June.
And the conduct of six officers involved in that death is currently being examined in an ongoing case at the Lausanne District Court.
A damaged road following the riots almost a week ago. No shop fronts were smashed in and no businesses were looted. Just the police and the authorities bore the brunt
Marvin spent a lot of time in the neglected area of Borde in the city. Pictured: A man walks past a Black Lives Matter mural
A week on from the riots, a bus shelter remains without glass after it was shattered during the protests
Even Grégoire Junod the City Mayor – head of a left-leaning coalition of Socialists and Greens – said: ‘There is a systemic discrimination problem that needs to be addressed.’
All of this has led to mounting calls for deeper institutional reform and further action to be taken – amid a good deal of Swiss political soul searching.
For decades, Switzerland – untouched by migrant‑driven unrest that affected its neighbours – seemed immune.
The country prided itself on neutrality and emotional detachment from colonial legacies. It watched from the sidelines as France, Britain and Germany struggled with integration and violent clashes – and stayed confident in its own social model.
But the unrest in Lausanne – and recent echoes in Zurich, Bern and Basel – brings a new dynamic to any complacency.
The Alpine country has become a nation of immigrants. Nearly 40 per cent of Swiss residents are either immigrants or children of immigrants, making Switzerland one of the most diverse countries in Europe.
Foreign nationals account for 27 per cent of the population, according to the Federal Statistical Office, while illegal immigration has significantly decreased in the last year.
In 2024, 14,963 illegal stays in Switzerland were recorded from January to the end of July. In the same period this year there were 8,461, mostly Turkish nationals with arrests mainly made in Ticino, the canton bordering Italy.
The total number of illegal immigrants in 2024 was 29,459 with Syrians the majority. In 2023 the figure was 50,185 with Afghans and Moroccans the majority.
The year 2023 also saw the largest population increase in more than six decades.
One man originally from Albania, who did not want to be named, insisted that there is a grave problem with police racism in Lausanne.
By way of proof he showed us a video purported to show him and a group of friends being beaten up by police officers as they tried to make their way to the airport for a holiday.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘We have too many problems with the police here but people don’t talk about it here in Switzerland. People want to protect the police and the police just want control.
‘My friends in Germany, in France, they all believe Switzerland is safe and there are no problems here, every country believes that because we don’t advertise the issues we have.’
His friend added: ‘We always have a lot of problems here, all we get is problems with the police. They never seem to have body cameras on. Maybe one out of 10 do.’
Others, however, are not so quick to blame the police, claiming that new protocols need to be introduced for relatively new crimes, such as stealing scooters.
Police officers intervene during the second night of riots following the fatal accident involving a minor on a scooter in Lausanne, Switzerland, 25 August 2025
It was the third death in less than three months in Lausanne during a police intervention
A memorial to Marvin has been made where he crashed on the road last Sunday night
Marco Bocquet, who lives nearby the spot where Marvin died, I think it’s really sad what happened but I don’t want to blame the police either, they were doing their job but the poor guy unfortunately died.
‘The only thing I think is why could they not have let him go and try to speak with him later in a safer way. It’s such a sad story.’
His husband Max added: ‘The police are not trained for this sort of thing, when people try and escape from police checks. They don’t know how to handle it.
‘It had already happened once at the beginning of the summer to a 14-year-old girl and I think this is why the population is quite shocked. Two incidents so close together.’
Marco added: ‘Young people are sick of these things happening. The police are not well trained for these sorts of situations and they don’t know how to handle it.’
And there was particular shock in the working-class area of Prélaz, with its pretty coloured flat blocks and quiet streets, as it had long been known for being peaceful and pleasant.
One resident told us: ‘These scenes of violence are more commonly associated in troubled places like Marseille or in the Parisian suburbs. Not in Lausanne.’
As the editor of 24heurs Eric Lecluyse said in his column this week: ‘The Prélaz district of Lausanne is not a neglected no-go area, like some municipalities on the outskirts of Paris.
‘And the standard of living of residents is generally much higher in Switzerland.
‘Yet, here too, the anger of some young people is exploding, igniting a neighborhood. This trend is worrying.’
Indeed, Oliver Phan Sy, who lives in the flats directly above the scene of the accident, told the Daily Mail: ‘This neighbourhood is very cosmopolitan, and everyone lives in harmony together.
‘It is very peaceful unlike in France, where I am from, where the cities are very segregated. Here everyone is mixed together and it’s usually very peaceful.
‘But what hasn’t been discussed in the media, is that while the protesting was going on just two streets from here, at the same time the boy’s family, including his mother, were here holding a vigil.
‘It was very sombre and quiet. There was a very heavy ambience. It was very different from what the images on the news showed.’
Yet commentators have said the violence on the streets of Prélaz is down to left-wing policies, particularly on over-migration – and fear this is just the tip of the iceberg.
A headline in Die Weltwoche read: ‘Lausanne burns like the Parisian suburbs… Politicians with irresponsible immigration policy to blame.’
A headline in Die Weltwoche this week read: ‘Lausanne burns like the Parisian suburbs… Politicians with irresponsible immigration policy to blame.’
Marvin seems to have been spending his days making music, under his stage name MNS, and posting the results on YouTube or Instagram
Marvin’s friends Vesa, Medina and Anania visit the shrine of their friend Marvin
Altuna (pictured right), who also knew Marvin, told us: ‘I don’t know what to say. This is an awful tragedy. He was a good boy. ‘He was very respectful and he was too young to die. He shouldn’t have died because of the police.’
Three teenage girls look on at the memorial for Marvin almost a week after his death
Commentator Hubert Mooser lamented that Lausanne – with 42 per cent foreign residents – has become a staging ground for African gangs peddling drugs, calling the city ‘Lausanne or Lagos?’
Cédric Weissert, President of the SVP in the Grand Council of Vaud, told MailOnline: ‘I think integration is less widespread than it was a few years ago. Currently, a certain number of immigrants come seeking a better life but without giving themselves the necessary means to integrate and participate in community life.
‘Controlled and successful immigration is better than uncontrolled integration that ends up derailing, as is happening in some countries around us.
‘People who come must make this effort to integrate. Clearly, no racist or xenophobic incidents should be tolerated.
‘On the other hand, we sense frustration among the population, realizing that we work hard, that prices are rising and that some people are taking advantage of the system and sometimes committing crimes.’
And while peace has been restored in Lausanne for now, experts fear this could be just the beginning of the chaos as Switzerland’s way.
