Trial in Zurich: Six members of "Junge Tat" demand acquittal
Six far-right members of Junge Tat are facing trial in Zurich for racist and homophobic actions. The prosecution is seeking custodial sentences.
Silence in the courtroom: Junge Tat members refuse to testify
On the steps of Zurich district court, one of the leaders of the far-right group Junge Tat presented himself combatively. He said it would become clear whether freedom of expression was still protected in Switzerland. But in the courtroom he fell silent — as did the five co-defendants. They gave the same answer to every question from the judge: "No statement."
According to the NZZ, the trial concerns five men and one woman from Junge Tat who must answer for actions that took place between 2022 and 2024. They face charges including incitement to hatred, trespassing, coercion, property damage and interference with freedom of belief and worship.
Church service disrupted, drag reading interrupted
In June 2022, several masked members of the group entered the St. Peter and Paul church in Zurich's district 4 through a side door. They carried a white wooden cross bearing the inscription "No Pride Month" and thereby disrupted a church service organised by Zurich Pride, which was held under the motto "Celebrating diversity".
In October of the same year, members of the group gained access to a drag story time for children at the Zurich dance house. They filmed the event covertly and attempted to unfurl a banner. Outside the building, masked activists lit torches and displayed a banner against "gender ideology". Event organiser Brandy Butler said after the incident: "I would never have thought that of all things, this would make me a target of neo-Nazis." And: "Drag story time is not a scandal — it's the cutest shit ever!"
Other actions included climbing a construction crane with subsequent pyrotechnic displays and clashes with left-wing extremists.
Prosecution: freedom of expression does not cover criminal acts
The prosecution is seeking custodial sentences of fifteen months each for the two leaders of Junge Tat, of which six months would be served as unconditional sentences. He additionally requests fines of 140 and 90 francs per 100 daily rates respectively.
He emphasised in court that the political views of the accused were not the subject of the proceedings. "One may provoke, one may sharply criticise political opponents or oppose migration. One may also express views that others regard as false or repugnant. All of this is protected by freedom of expression," the prosecutor said.
The line is crossed, however, when unlawful means are used to enforce one's own message. "One may not silence a political opponent through unlawful means. One may not enter others' premises in order to spread one's message there." His conclusion: "Freedom of expression is not a free pass for the means employed."
Defence insists on non-violence and freedom of expression
The lawyers for the six defendants demanded complete acquittals, or in individual cases at most conviction on minor points. One defence counsel emphasised that his client was politically active and drew attention to his positions through provocative actions. While this provoked rejection, it was protected by freedom of expression. Moreover, the protest had always remained non-violent; at a demonstration at Zurich main railway station, they had merely defended themselves against left-wing extremist attackers.
Regarding the church action, the defence counsel explained that the inscription "No Pride Month" neither demeaned God nor Christian faith. "It is pointed criticism of a specific event and not of a religious conviction," said one of the lawyers. The charge of discrimination based on sexual orientation was not made out. Another defence counsel asked rhetorically: "What else should one carry in a church but a cross?"
Regarding the drag story time, the lawyer for one of the leaders explained that they had neither intended to discriminate against anyone nor to deny non-heterosexual people their equal rights. "The protest was directed solely against the premature sexualisation and queer ideology. And not against the person as such." Controversial statements and polemic should not be criminalised.
For one of the two leaders, his defence counsel requested merely a conditional fine of 90 daily rates.
Judgment pending
Zurich district court will announce its judgment at a later date. This is the first time that the leaders of Junge Tat have faced the threat of a custodial sentence in these proceedings.
Source: NZZ