{"id":531702,"date":"2026-03-13T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leregardlibre.com\/?p=531702"},"modified":"2026-03-16T18:09:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T17:09:56","slug":"jacques-baud-charlie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leregardlibre.com\/en\/policy\/switzerland\/jacques-baud-charlie\/","title":{"rendered":"Faced with \u00abCharlie Hebdo\u00bb or Jacques Baud, an illiberal Switzerland"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read also | The weight of the state in Switzerland is not as low as you might think<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Two recent events illustrate the extent to which blatant cases of illiberalism at best raise eyebrows in Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when the French satirical weekly\u00a0Charlie Hebdo<\/em>\u00a0published his drawing \u00abLes br\u00fbl\u00e9s font du ski\u00bb 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 \u00abshould always be aimed at the powerful\u00bb. That \u00absuch a drawing should not be allowed\u00bb. Or even that the editors of this title known for its dark humor \u00abhad it coming with the Mohammed cartoons\u00bb. These comments \u2013 which must of course be authorized \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n