"Mosque baba": Swiss advertising expert Segert acquitted
Swiss advertising executive Alexander Segert was acquitted Friday by the Graz Regional Criminal Court of the charge of incitement. The charges were related to the online game «Moschee baba.».
The main defendant, Styrian FPÖ leader and provincial councillor Gerhard Kurzmann, was also acquitted at the trial. The online game "Moschee baba" first caused a stir during the Styrian state election campaign in 2010 and then led to a court case. The internet game involved clicking away mosques, minarets and muezzins to collect points. The Styrian FPÖ had developed the game for the 2010 election campaign together with Segert.
The judge at the Graz Regional Criminal Court justified the acquittal by stating that there were different interpretations of the game and that a decision had to be made for the defendants by applying the so-called rule of ambiguity. In the most favorable form, the game could be interpreted in such a way that the average addressee of the game had been made aware of an issue. The judge also identified clear differences to a shooter game. Overall, the threshold of incitement to hatred had not been reached in his eyes.
In contrast to the public prosecutor, who portrayed the game as highly dangerous, the defendants and their lawyers were at pains to portray the game as a harmless game of skill. The public prosecutor has announced an appeal. The verdict is therefore not final.
