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| An anti-racism law in 1995 forbids the public display and dissemination of racist symbol, but only in cases when they are used to promoted racist ideologies |
A Nazi salute is not illegal racial discrimination provided it is intended as a personal statement, Switzerland's top court ruled on Wednesday.
The Federal Tribunal's ruling, entitled "Hitler salute in public not always punishable," said the gesture is a crime only if someone is using it to try to spread racist ideology to others, not simply declaring one's own conviction.
The ruling by the Lausanne-based court overturned a lower court's conviction last year of a man who was charged with racial discrimination after he took part in an August 2010 demonstration with 150 participants.
The demonstration was held a week after the Swiss National Day on the famous Ruetli Meadow above Lake Lucerne where, according to legend, the modern Swiss Confederation was born in 1291. » | AP | Wednesday, May 21, 2014
