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Apparently It's OK to Give the Nazi Salute in Switzerland These Days

Things are really not looking great for Europe.

Photo courtesy of Deutschen Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia

There are quite a few things that are OK in some countries, and not so OK in others. And from time to time, courts reach perplexing verdicts. Last week, the Swiss Federal Court decided to clear a nationalist who gave the Nazi salute at a bash of the “confederate-socialist” Nationally Oriented Swiss Citizens) Party (PNOS).

But let’s start at the beginning. Every year on the 1st of August, Switzerland celebrates its founding moment by standing on a meadow and protesting the evil powers that be. The myth behind the creation of our alpine land was written by the famous German playwright Friedrich Schiller and is centred on the character of Swiss national hero William Tell: A lonesome Swiss farmer who fought the evil Habsburg Dynasty sometime around 1297, inspiring other farmers to rally against the Empire and finally leading to the so-called “Rütli oath”—a declaration of independence for medieval Switzerland that took place on Rütli meadow). That’s why in Switzerland, people are not merely called “people”—we use another, quirky little word to describe ourselves instead: “Eidgenossen,” which means “oath brothers."

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And so, fittingly, PNOS' latest party took place at Rütli meadow, where a member took to the podium to read excerpts from Schiller's Wilhelm Tell. It was then that moved—I'm guessing—by the excerpt, one of the oath brothers gave a full on Nazi salute that lasted almost half a minute. Just to be clear this gesture is still illegal in neighbouring countries like Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. And it was full on humdinger, too: outstretched arm, scowl, the lot. Police and hikers passing by confirmed the incident.

The decision to declare the gesture legal fits in with a series of questionable rullings made by the Swiss Federal Court in the last few years. Recently it also acquitted a policeman from Basel, who loudly and publicly called a man a “dirty asylum seeker” while arresting him. Exactly one year ago, the same court decided that a father had provoked the two thugs who beat him up, by giving them the finger. The court decided that flipping the bird made him complicit in his own beating and thanks to them his insurance was able to halve his paid sick leave.

Being allowed to publicly present a symbol of the racially motivated murder of millions but not one of a body part could be seen as a little strange. Thankfully, the federal court clarified: In Switzerland, it’s only OK to give the Nazi salute if you’re expressing your personal opinion and not if you’re trying to persuade anyone to share your “Nationalist Socialist disposition.”

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Photo via Flickr user Tim Bartel

Which means that what we are talking about here is an advertising ban. Since the Nazi on the Rütli was among people who share his “disposition," he could hardly be considered to be advertising his opinions. Nor could his salute to Hitler discriminate against other cultures—no, no, no.

It doesn’t do to say it, but the PNOS has a fair amount of foreign members. Still, apparently it’s OK for Swiss Nazis to read each other verses by Friedrich Schiller and raise their arm in celebration if they feel like it. After all, no one minds a book club, and we can hardly blame these guys for being too busy bullying younger children to study Schiller while at school. Perhaps, poor Mr. Nazi only raised his hand to ask a question:

“Sorry… eh, Mr. PNOS, would you place Wilhelm Tell in the proto-romantic Sturm und Drang movement or Weimar Classicism?”

Not that this is any far from happening; After the enormous success of far-right parties in the European elections this weekend, it wouldn't be all that surprising if we come to see the EU court adapting the Swiss court rule on a broader scale.