The setter of a crossword that appeared in Swiss newspaper Le Nouvelliste and the person responsible for distributing it have been acquitted by the Sion district court. They had been charged with defaming the Valais section of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In its verdict on Monday, the court found that the two men had merely expressed an opinion, which is protected by freedom of expression. Nor did the judge find them guilty of offences against honour or slander. A clue in the Valais paper on November 18, 2023, was: “Swiss political party – racist, xenophobic, homophobic, anti-feminist, anti-ecological, anti-poor, nationalist.” The answer: UDC (the French abbreviation for the Swiss People’s Party). The Valais section of the People’s Party took exception to this and demanded, and received, an apology from Le Nouvelliste. + Is the Swiss People’s Party far-right? However, on November 24, 2023, the Valais section of the ...
