Young Tat leaders in court in Zurich: up to 15 months imprisonment sought
From 4 September, six members of the far-right Young Tat group will stand trial before Zurich District Court. The leaders face the threat of custodial sentences of up to 15 months.
Trial against Young Tat: leaders defend themselves with video against threat of imprisonment
On 4 September, the trial begins before Zurich District Court against Manuel Corchia (25), Tobias Lingg (24) and four other members of the far-right group Young Tat. The two leaders face custodial sentences of up to 15 months according to Blick — the Zurich public prosecutor's office wants six months of this to be served as unconditional detention.
The charges are extensive: involvement in violent confrontations with left-wing extremists, a masked storming of a Pride Festival church service combined with property damage, disruption of a drag queen story hour for children, and various illegal propaganda activities. Additional charges include coercion, trespassing, discrimination and incitement to hatred.
Video in response to impending trial
Shortly before the trial began, the group published a just under ten-minute video on X in which three of the accused set out their position. In it, they characterise the acts attributed to them as minor offences and invoke freedom of expression. Others would receive only fines for comparable actions, they claim. Freedom of expression only applies to the left, liberals and state television anyway, according to the tenor of the video. At the same time, the group launched a petition in support of the legal defence of the accused.
In the video, the group accuses the government, public prosecutor's office and police of systematically covering up and protecting left-wing extremists.
In an interview with Blick in early August, Corchia had expressed confidence in victory: "If freedom of expression still exists in Switzerland, the accusations will not lead to a conviction."
Masking as a protective argument
When asked why members had appeared masked at several actions, Corchia replied that as an identifiable right-wing activist, one quickly risked losing one's job, home or university place. "Nowadays we have different structures and can afford to show our faces," he said. The 25-year-old described the irony of now being punished precisely for this as "extremely malicious and brazen."
Who is Young Tat?
Young Tat has been active in Switzerland since 2020. The group presents itself as a young, modern movement and relies on professionally produced social media content, joint hiking trips, combat sports and public actions. In terms of content, it propagates an ethnically and culturally defined Swiss identity, calls for the remigration of migrants and opposes LGBTQ+ issues.
Experts classify Young Tat as part of the far-right identitarian movement. The federal intelligence service classified it as a group with "elevated violence potential". Exact membership numbers are not known; estimates suggest several dozen activists. Via social media, the group specifically attempts to reach young people.
Further proceedings remain open
Two further accused have withdrawn their objections against the penal orders; no trial will be conducted against them and the judgements are already final. The six remaining accused have the option to appeal to the appeals court and possibly the Federal Court after the district court ruling. A swift final judgement is therefore not to be expected.
Source: Blick