Our group of eight youth departed today from Düsseldorf for the United Church of God British Isles summer camp near Manchester, but not without some Swiss pride being questioned at the security checkpoint.

Eight youth from the German-language area flew today from Düsseldorf to Manchester to attend this year’s summer camp. The group is made up of seven girls and one boy, so our editorial staff member Jesmina Allaoua is accompanying the group. One of the girls – 11 years old – is from Switzerland, and the rest of the group is from Germany. At the security checkpoint for hand luggage the security personnel were surprised to find a Swiss army knife in the Swiss girl’s backpack. Maybe there is some Swiss pride involved in not allowing a Swiss citizen to leave Switzerland unless he/she is carrying one of these knives. At any rate, the security personnel asked Jesmina, "What is this little mouse doing with a knife in her backpack?" It was quickly determined that was an oversight, and Jesmina was allowed the carry the knife on her person with the reminder that it needed to be placed in a checked bag for the return trip. Swiss pride was allowed to fly to Manchester after all.