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FDP National Councilor Hans-Peter Portmann has demanded an apology and threatened to press charges. This has now responded.
A sheep with the abbreviated inscription “Fuck Nazis” kicks the party logos of SVP and FDP: With this motif, the left-wing campaign organization Campax is currently making headlines. The organization has since removed the lettering.
An FDP national councilor demanded an apology and threatened to press charges. If no apology comes, then he will have the case clarified legally, said FDP National Councilor Hans-Peter Portmann. The Campax sticker is possibly reputational damage, defamation or slander. “The question is how far you can actually go in Switzerland,” says Portmann.
No apology
The lettering was misunderstood, says Virginia Köpfli from Campax. When asked if there would be an apology, she told SRF: “No, there isn’t.”
One does not want to equate the FDP with National Socialists, but: “We call on Mr. Portmann to be more concerned about the political decision of his alliance partner than about our subject of a mailbox sticker.”
It is a political statement when two parties enter into a list association.
The background: FDP and SVP have decided in some cantons to join lists for the elections. This means that votes from FDP voters can benefit the SVP and vice versa. For Campax, the SVP does not distinguish itself enough from right-wing extremist positions.
Legend:
The defused Campax sticker: The left-wing campaign organization Campax has removed the controversial inscription on the lamb.
Campax website
“It’s not just something formal,” says Köpfli and adds: “It’s a political statement when two parties enter into a list connection. And the FDP has a responsibility and has to think about how it can justify the list connection.”
Yes, one wanted to provoke with the glue, admits Köpfli. From Campax’s point of view, the good “purpose” of the campaign is decisive. This is “extremely valuable” for the election campaign, says the campaign manager.
«Below any level»
FDP National Councilor Portmann confirmed that if he personally received the same answer from Campax, then he would have the case examined by a court of law. “Certainly, I find it below any level, as Campax dismisses it, is unreasonable and apparently actually legitimizes the trivialization of Nazi statements and thus also of Nazi crimes,” says Portmann.
He wants to prevent such comparisons from having any consequences and catching on accordingly, he adds. And it’s about defending yourself against unfair accusations.