Legal Dispute Over Aargau SVP Election Poster to Continue

 
The Federal Supreme Court in Lausanne must review the dismissal of criminal proceedings against Andreas Glarner, a member of the Aargau cantonal parliament from the SVP, on charges of racial discrimination. Two private citizens are appealing the decision by the Aargau Higher Court to dismiss their complaint. According to a report in the Aargauer Zeitung, the complainants believe that the posters used by Glarner during the National Council election campaign go far beyond what can be considered permissible under the freedom of expression. They argue there is sufficient grounds for a charge of racial discrimination. Thus, the poster controversy is not yet over, even after the conviction of Halil Sütlü, who had torn down six of the SVP posters (see: ). The posters featured a heavily veiled Muslim woman. Next to her was the text: «Aarau or Ankara? So that we can continue to feel at home in the future. Andreas Glarner for the National Council.» The poster in the Baden region depicted a minaret and, in keeping with the region, read «Baden or Baghdad?» The Aargau High Court ruled that the posters did not disparage the Muslim community as such, nor did they disparage members of the Islamic faith in terms of their identity or equality. Rather, the issue concerned the influence of Islamic culture, which was being rejected without, however, being disparaged across the board.