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Basic income poster makes Guinness record

The Swiss will vote on the issue of an unconditional basic income on June 5. Keystone

The largest poster in the world, made of truck tarpaulins, was displayed at a demonstration held Saturday on the Plainpalais plaza in Geneva. Bearing a message in favour of a basic income in Switzerland, the poster will be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records.

On the poster was written in English the question: “What would you do if your income were taken care of?” On the edges of the poster, in smaller print, the question was repeated in 68 different languages.

The poster boasts dimensions of 72 metres by 110 metres, and coveres an area of ​​around 8,000 metres squared, explained Marilola Wili, a member of the initiative committee for the unconditional basic income, which was behind the project.

Approximately CHF 200,000 ($205,036) was raised through participatory funding from the initiative committee for the campaign, which supports an unconditional basic income in Switzerland that is not tied to employment.

Although the poster was made by 30 people from canton Glarus, it was transported to Geneva because the Plainpalais is the only public space in Switzerland large enough to accommodate it.  

The tarp material used to make the poster will not be destroyed, but transformed into bags, wallets and other products. 

Photos were taken from helicopters and drones. A pod hanging from a huge articulated arm allowed photographers to see the poster from above.

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