Right-wing extremist author Alain Soral arrested in Lausanne
Published: Thursday, May 30th 2024, 15:40
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The far-right French-Swiss author Alain Soral was temporarily arrested in Lausanne on Wednesday for allegedly making anti-Semitic remarks. His apartment was searched and he was questioned by the police.
The Vaud public prosecutor's office confirmed a report by the French-language online news portal Blick.ch to the news agency Keystone-SDA on Thursday. It has opened criminal proceedings against the 65-year-old.
Previously, on 8 March 2024, the public prosecutor's office had received a complaint from the organization Coordination Intercommunautaire contre l'Antisémitisme et la Defamation (CICAD) for anti-Semitism against Soral. It had subsequently received a request from the French authorities to delegate the prosecution in relation to statements made by the person concerned.
Convicted in Switzerland and France
Holocaust denier Soral, whose real name is Alain Bonnet, has already been convicted in both Switzerland and France. In April 2024, the Federal Supreme Court confirmed Soral's conviction for discrimination and incitement to hatred. The Frenchman, who lives in Lausanne VD, had made condescending comments about the sexual orientation of a female journalist and about homosexuals in general in an interview published online in 2021.
The author has also repeatedly made anti-Semitic and critical comments about Israel in the past. In France, he has been sentenced several times to fines and suspended sentences for false statements, defamation and anti-Semitism.
©Keystone/SDA
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