Racism Defense lawyer demands acquittal for alleged Zurich racist

A 40-year-old Swiss man has denied having made racist insults and threats to young people. His defense lawyer told the court in Hinwil ZH that the young people had colluded and invented stories.

His client should be acquitted, said the defense lawyer, and the court should also award him 53,600 francs in compensation for unjustified imprisonment.

The youths had never been afraid of the 40-year-old. One of them had simply found it "funny" that he had shown the Hitler salute. They did not call the police, but two football coaches arrived at the scene.

The defense lawyer considered the alleged racist statements against dark-skinned people to be stereotypical. The public prosecutor's office relied solely on the statements of the young people, who knew each other.

The accused had seen enough

The defense lawyer also rejected the demand for inpatient measures, saying that there had been no violent incidents in the nine months in prison. The 40-year-old had also never announced an act of violence to the young people. Any illness could also be treated outside the clinic.

The accused had already seen enough before his defense attorney's plea. He wanted to go back to prison because of health problems. He waived his closing statement. The verdict will be sent to the parties in writing in the next few days. The 40-year-old also waived his right to an oral hearing.