A Swiss man with a military background, who punched a protester outside a defense conference in Ottawa in 2024, received an absolute discharge — guilty, but no criminal record or conditions — sparking outrage. The judge acknowledged the harm caused but deemed the sentence appropriate after considering all factors. He must pay a $5,000 victim surcharge, unusually high due to missing his first sentencing. Supporters of the assaulted woman, a 21-year-old protester, erupted in anger, calling him racist and shameful as he left. Her father said the attack made his family feel unsafe and like second-class citizens. The Crown plans to appeal, calling the sentence “demonstrably unfit.” The assault occurred after the man, an employee of a Swiss arms company, was told he supported genocide — he struck her, then pushed another protester before being arrested. Defense claimed low blood sugar and PTSD influenced his actions, but the judge rejected any racial motive, stressing protesters have a right to be there — and violence is never justified.
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