From a distance, the bike looked like a police bike. The bright orange stripes were correctly positioned, frame color, pannier bag, everything matched - even the police-style helmet. Up close, the picture changed: "FOZILEI" was written on the down tube and instead of the emergency number 117, you could read "1312", the code for "All Cops Are Bastards".

The 32-year-old from Zurich didn't get very far with it. According to reports from the court, he was stopped twice by the Zurich city police on the very first day on his fake company bike. The second stop ended with the confiscation of his bike. That was in 2022, and he received the penalty order a few weeks ago.

He is not guilty of defamation, but of "unauthorized use of public signs and unauthorized use of traffic police license plates", as the NZZ quotes the penalty order. The bill is hefty, even if the convicted person does not have to pay most of it. In addition to the procedural costs of 1000 francs, there is a 300 franc fine. He will only have to pay a further 2,000 francs if he is caught committing another illegal act in the next two years.