A mother breastfeeding her baby at a Swiss immigration office has told how she was shamed into leaving after staff said she was upsetting other people.

Hungarian-born Janka Horvath, 39, had been visiting the office in Interlaken to get an identity card for her one-year-old son.

After the baby’s photo had been taken she started breastfeeding him in the waiting room while the card was prepared on 14th September.

But within moments, a female official ran into the room shouting, and telling Janka to leave, she told local media.

Janka said: “She said we were disturbing.

“I sat in the very corner, was covered and the stroller was standing across in front of me.

“She also repeated several times that breastfeeding was forbidden here.”

The horrified mum rushed out of the centre after the public shaming.

She said: “I’m amazed that I’m experiencing something like this in Switzerland in 2023.

“At the same time, the incident made me sad because I felt unwanted with my baby.”

Migration officials now claim the attack was a “misunderstanding” but did not make a public apology to Janka.

Office for Migration and Civil Status spokesperson Hannes Schade said many women “have very positive memories of breastfeeding their children in the premises.”

But staff are to be reminded that there is no ban on breastfeeding in migration buildings.

The spokesperson added that the case in question will serve to remind the centre’s employees that breastfeeding is not banned inside the facility, which he said also possesses suitable rooms for mothers.

However, a 2021 survey of 1,500 mums showed that four out of five said they have had bad experiences while breastfeeding in Swiss public spaces.

And only 43 per cent considered it appropriate to breastfeed a baby in front of strangers.

President of the Swiss Midwives Association (SHV), Barbara Stocker said: “The incident is not surprising because breastfeeding women are always turned away.

“Sometimes it’s a woman breastfeeding on a plane, then in a restaurant or on a train that makes headlines.

“A slightly exposed female breast with a drinking child still seems to irritate some people a lot.”

Stocker continued: “Naked or half-naked people are omnipresent in advertising, social media, and print media. These images don’t seem to bother.”

She added: “I generally find Switzerland not to be very child-friendly.

“Maybe the child is bothering you per se? Or the mother who dares to show her motherhood in public?

“More tolerance and common sense wouldn’t hurt in this issue either.”