An outspoken writer and commentator has been sentenced to 60 days in jail by a Swiss court after making derogatory comments towards a journalist. The decision has been hailed by LGBTQ+ groups as a victory for justice and equality.
Alain Bonnet, also known as Alain Soral, was found guilty of defamation, discrimination, and incitement to hatred on Monday by the Lausanne court. The charges were based on a Facebook video in which he referred to Catherine Macherel, a journalist for Swiss newspapers Tribune de Geneve and 24 Heures, as a “fat lesbian.”
The court’s decision comes after Bonnet, a French-Swiss polemicist, criticized Macherel’s work as a “queer activist” and accused her of being “unhinged” in a social media video two years ago. He was also ordered to pay legal fees and fines totaling thousands of Swiss francs.
Murial Waeger, co-director of a lesbian activist group, praised the court’s ruling as an “important moment for justice and the rights of LGBTQI people in Switzerland.” She stated that the conviction of Alain Soral sends a strong message that “homophobic hatred cannot be tolerated in our society.”
Bonnet’s lawyer, Pascal Junod, criticized the conviction as a violation of freedom of speech. In an email to The Associated Press, he called it a “crime of opinion” and accused the court of attempting to police people’s thoughts. Junod also stated that his client plans to appeal the decision to the Swiss federal court and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights.
This is not the first time that Bonnet has faced legal consequences for his words. He has been repeatedly convicted in France for denying the Holocaust, which is a crime in the country. In 2019, he was sentenced to jail time for his denials.
In 2020, Swiss voters approved a measure that made it illegal to discriminate against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation. This sentencing serves as another example of the country’s commitment to protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.
The conviction of Alain Soral has set a precedent for Switzerland to take a strong stance against hate speech and discrimination.
