Right-Wing Extremist Author Sentenced to Prison in Lausanne
Published: Monday, Oct 2nd 2023, 10:50
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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Alain Soral, a far-right French-Swiss author, has been sentenced to a 60-day unconditional prison sentence in an appeal trial. The Cantonal Court of Vaud found him guilty of discrimination and incitement to hatred. Alain Soral was brought to court for allegedly making homophobic remarks. The Holocaust denier had referred to a journalist in a video on his website in 2021 as a "fat lesbian" and a "queer activist" among other things, implying that the term "queer" was synonymous with being disturbed. In April 2021, the State Prosecutor sentenced Alain Soral to three months in prison by way of a criminal order for discrimination based on sexual orientation. The journalist had filed a criminal complaint in September 2021. Soral appealed the ruling. The police court subsequently sentenced him to a fine of 30 daily rates of 50 Swiss francs. The Vaud State Prosecutor, who had demanded a prison sentence of three months, appealed the case to the next instance. Discrimination based on sexual orientation has been punishable in Switzerland since the middle of 2020. Alain Bonnet, aged 65, who is known by his alias Soral, has been living in Lausanne for around three years. In France, he has been convicted and sentenced to fines or probation around 20 times for making anti-Semitic statements, denying the Holocaust, slander and insult. Soral gained notoriety for his collaboration with the far-right French comedian Dieudonné.
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