Faced with «Charlie Hebdo» or Jacques Baud, an illiberal Switzerland

The Alpine Republic likes to think of itself as a model of liberalism. Yet, between the complaint against a French satirist and the government's silence in the face of European sanctions against Jacques Baud, the country is failing the test of defending freedom.

Self-congratulation is a common sport in the Alpine Republic. Oh, how good it is to point out that Switzerland has the best or only system of direct democracy in the world, that it cultivates an unrivalled sense of consensus... Or that it is so liberal in comparison with all the more or less advanced forms of collectivism present on the globe. Of course, chauvinism is universal, and our French neighbors are perhaps the most obvious example. But Switzerland would be wrong to consider itself spared this temptation - it would be arrogance not to consider itself arrogant. 

This human and national trait becomes a danger when it leads one to judge its eternal qualities. The Confederation is only relatively liberal, and there is no pride in always maintaining the same gap with other countries when the latter also see their state continually growing, freedom of expression restricted or emotion prevailing over reason. 

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Two recent events illustrate the extent to which blatant cases of illiberalism at best raise eyebrows in Switzerland. 

So when the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo published his drawing «Les brûlés font du ski» in reference to the Crans-Montana tragedy in January, many Swiss citizens not only considered the illustration to be in bad taste, but added that a caricature «should always be aimed at the powerful». That «such a drawing should not be allowed». Or even that the editors of this title known for its dark humor «had it coming with the Mohammed cartoons». These comments – which must of course be authorized – mean that art must obey moral rules, that the state is there to ensure this... and that, in the worst case, fanatics will take it upon themselves to eradicate such free spirits. 

A Valais couple has even filed a complaint against the newspaper. It's unlikely to succeed, especially in blasphemy heaven. Nevertheless, with this criminal denunciation, Switzerland is sending out an image of a fragile person asking the authorities to recognize his offense. Let's not forget that liberalism not only theorized the separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers, but also between politics itself and religion, and between public and private. Similarly, «to be Charlie»To be part of a niche has never meant to recognize oneself in one's readership, but to accept that such a niche may exist, whether one is part of it or not.

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On a different note, what happened to former Swiss colonel Jacques Baud is even more alarming, as the restriction of his freedom was not simply desired, but enforced. In December, the European Union sanctioned this former employee of the Confederation's intelligence service for «pro-Russian propaganda», along with ten other people. It is still unclear on what precise grounds these measures involving the freezing of their assets and a ban on doing business and entering European soil were based. Brussels claims that the acts concerned have reached a level likely to threaten democracy, the rule of law, the stability or security of the EU or a member state. 

The fact that official Switzerland has not publicly risen to defend the rights of its citizens in the face of such a vague defense of a purely administrative decision is worrying. It's not a question of supporting Jacques Baud's ideas, but of recognizing his freedom to express them. And what might the next steps be? The laughter of Federal Councillor Beat Jans at the end of the year when a journalist asked him a question on this subject – which the government had not even bothered to address in session – is in itself an admission of Switzerland's failure in the test of liberalism. 

Graduate in philosophy and journalist by profession, Jonas Follonier is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Regard Libre.

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