Blocher renounces lawsuit against TSR
End of the Swiss caricature dispute: Justice Minister Christoph Blocher does not want to take legal action against the French-speaking Swiss television station TSR and the caricatures in the program "Infrarouge". However, he will no longer appear in such programs.
Justice Minister Christoph Blocher does not want to take legal action against the French-speaking Swiss television station TSR and the caricatures in the program "Infrarouge". However, he will no longer appear in such programs, his spokesman Livio Zanolari told SDA on Tuesday. Blocher had taken offense at the caricatures by Philippe Becquelin, which illustrated his statements on the Asylum and Foreign Nationals Act (see
). They were produced and shown during the interview with Blocher. Switzerland now also had its cartoon controversy and Switzerland its laughing stock due to the overreaction of Mr. and Mrs. Blocher. Blocher had actually demanded that the program be changed (see ). No more caricatures and pictures Blocher will not be appealing to the Independent Complaints Authority (UBI) or the Press Council either. Moreover, they would have little chance of success: only if the caricatures had been defamatory or offensive would these bodies have become involved. Blocher and his wife had denounced the cartoons as strongly xenophobic. This had created the impression that this xenophobic content was in line with Blocher's attitude. According to Zanolari, it was incorrect for Blocher's statements to be manipulated by images. Blocher will therefore no longer take part in broadcasts in which his statements are accompanied by xenophobic images or caricatures.
). They were produced and shown during the interview with Blocher. Switzerland now also had its cartoon controversy and Switzerland its laughing stock due to the overreaction of Mr. and Mrs. Blocher. Blocher had actually demanded that the program be changed (see ). No more caricatures and pictures Blocher will not be appealing to the Independent Complaints Authority (UBI) or the Press Council either. Moreover, they would have little chance of success: only if the caricatures had been defamatory or offensive would these bodies have become involved. Blocher and his wife had denounced the cartoons as strongly xenophobic. This had created the impression that this xenophobic content was in line with Blocher's attitude. According to Zanolari, it was incorrect for Blocher's statements to be manipulated by images. Blocher will therefore no longer take part in broadcasts in which his statements are accompanied by xenophobic images or caricatures.
