Guillaume Morand extended a chimney, gave it the form of a minaret and sprayed it in gold paint to protest against a constitutional amendment approved in a nationwide referendum last month.
“It was scandalous that the Swiss voted for the ban,” said Mr Morand, 46, who owns the Pomp It Up chain of shoe stores.
“Now we [the Swiss] have the support of all the far-right parties across Europe. This is shameful.”
The tower, made of plastic and wood above his warehouse near Lausanne, is a “message of peace and tolerance” designed to last for two years before it rots, he said — but there are no plans for it to be used to summon Muslims to prayer.
“Our minaret is pretty,” he said. “You could say I’m proud of it and I’m happy that people are talking about it.” His neighbours are less enthusiastic and have showered him with racist insults since the minaret appeared this week, he said. One telephoned a threat to demolish the structure.
The far-right Swiss People’s Party, which initiated the referendum, accused the businessman of using the tower for self-publicity.
“That’s the only argument they have against me,” said Mr Morand, who is not a Muslim.
Police arrived within 20 minutes of the end of the building work, he said. They took photographs and said that they would file a report. It is possible that the construction could lead to the first legal wrangle over the ban.
Mr Morand is not worried. “I think I’ll just get a letter from a judge,” he said. “If they give me a fine, I will contest it. There’s no justification for a punishment over this.”
Lawyers have described the ban as contrary to international law.
Mr Morand says that he will appeal any penalty to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, where he is confident of victory. His optimism is shared by Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, Switzerland’s Justice Minister, who says the amendment is certain to be invalidated by European judges.
The Swiss People’s Party shows no sign of backing down and is organising a referendum to order the automatic expulsion of foreigners guilty of criminal offences such as murder, rape, robbery or drug trafficking.
It has already gathered 210,000 signatures, more than enough to force a referendum under Swiss law.
Time UK, 15 December 2009
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