Switzerland's Federal Tribunal has ruled that controversial "Nazi salute" won't be deemed punishable if it is a personal statement.
The court, which tried to strike a balance between free speech and discrimination, said that saluting like Hitler is still a crime if someone is trying to spread racist ideology, the New York Daily News reported.
The ruling by the Lausanne-based court overturned a lower court's conviction last year of a man, who was charged with racial discrimination, after he took part in an August 2010 demonstration with 150 participants.
The court has said that the man substituted the Swiss oath with a 20-second Nazi salute, but the gesture is only punishable if it's being used to spread, advertise or propagate racist ideology with the intention of influencing others.
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