Police boss criticised for gas-chamber comment
A Swiss politician has come under fire for describing Germany's wartime gas chambers as "a detail of history" in a radio interview.
Jürg Scherrer, director of police for the city of Biel, faces a preliminary investigation for a possible breach of Switzerland’s anti-racism laws.
On Wednesday, magistrate Patrick André Robert-Nicoud, confirmed the probe of the incident involving Scherrer, who is also president of the right-wing Swiss Freedom Party.
Scherrer made the statement while speaking live to the Swiss French-language radio station “Radio Suisse Romande”, in response to a journalist’s question about the right-wing French presidential candidate Jean Marie Le Pen.
When asked about the gas chambers, Scherrer said; “It is a detail of history, that is clear, but there were also different crimes against other peoples.”
The statement prompted denunciations from Swiss-based Jewish groups, the Mayor of Biel and several Swiss newspaper editorials.
The mass-market “Blick” newspaper condemned Scherrer’s statement with a one-word front-page headline; “Intolerable!”
A misunderstanding?
However Scherrer says he has become the victim of an on-air misunderstanding, and had been speaking in French, rather than his native German.
He said he had not understood the question, partly because of a poor-quality telephone connection.
The furore is not the first time Scherrer has become embroiled in a controversy involving anti-racism laws.
Two months ago, he was cleared of racial discrimination charges by a judge after an investigation into a report he wrote in August 2001 about a violent incident involving police recruits and foreigners.
Scherrer’s report, entitled; “Switzerland – baggage out, borders shut”, was not found to be racist because it was not directed at any particular ethnic, racial or religious group.
swissinfo with agencies
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.