Swiss Court Just Convicted This 45-year-old Man a $4000 Fine for Liking a Post on Facebook They Deem Is Racist

A court in Switzerland has fined a man for "liking" comments deemed to be defamatory that were posted on Facebook.



The landmark case involved comments made about Erwin Kessler, the head of an animal protection group.


He was accused of being anti-Semitic and racist, media reports say.


The Zurich district court said the defendant "clearly endorsed the unseemly content and made it his own" by liking comments.


The 45-year-old man liked six comments, according to Swiss newspaper Le Temps.


Mr Kessler is reported to have sued more than a dozen people over various comments made on Facebook in 2015.


They were made in relation to a discussion over which animal rights groups should be allowed to participate in a vegan festival, the Tages Anzeiger newspaper reports.


Several people have been convicted but none for only "liking" comments made by others.