EU police have arrested and imprisoned a Swiss national for the crime of stating on social media that there are only two genders.
Emanuel Brunisholz, 57, was convicted under Switzerland’s hate speech laws for stating basic biological facts. The incident began in December 2022, when Brunisholz responded to a post by Swiss National Council member Andreas Glarner.
“If you dig up LGBTQI people after 200 years, you’ll only find men and women based on their skeletons,” Brunisholz wrote at the time. “Everything else is a mental illness promoted through the curriculum.”
Naturalnews.com reports: But this did not sit well with progressives, who quickly branded this scientific fact as “hate speech.” Activists swiftly reported the comment to police, triggering an investigation under Article 261bis of the Swiss Criminal Code. While this statute originally targeted racist incitement it expanded in 2020 to include “sexual orientation and identity.”
Brunisholz openly admitted to the post during his August 2023 interrogation, defending it as a statement of biological fact. “I want to tell them that there’s only man and woman,” he told investigators, dismissing accusations of hatred.
Prosecutors, however, argued his words “publicly denigrated LGBTQI people” and violated “human dignity.” He was fined 500 Swiss francs ($627.91), with a 10-day jail term imposed if unpaid. After losing his appeal, Brunisholz refused payment on principle – accepting incarceration instead.
When facts become felonies: Truth-tellers jailed for “hate speech”
This case exemplifies a broader global crackdown on dissent, where scientific truths are criminalized to enforce ideological conformity. Switzerland, long praised for neutrality and liberty, now mirrors authoritarian trends seen in Germany – where identical complaints are weaponized to silence critics. The prosecution relied on complaints from at least two journalists, revealing collusion between activists and media to police speech.
Critics warn such rulings pave the way for digital surveillance tyranny, particularly as Switzerland debates expanding “gender identity” protections. Legal experts note selective enforcement of hate-speech laws already chills debate, as seen in Brunisholz’s conviction despite forensic anthropology confirming skeletal sex differences.
The case has ignited outrage, with commentators like Daniel Stricker noting hypocrisy: “Swiss media whines about free speech in America … [but] total silence on this.” Supporters argue Brunisholz’s stance aligns with peer-reviewed science, yet dissenters face fines, job loss or imprisonment – a tactic reminiscent of Soviet-era thought policing.