Where’s the Logic?

| Nov 19, 2003 | 0 comments

Greece is set to enact legislation that makes insulting the Athens Olympics a criminal offence.

Greek football hooligans shouting slogans against the Athens 2004 Olympics will face criminal charges under new legislation proposed by the Greek ministry for sports.

The proposals are designed to combat the rampant violence in Greek football stadiums, the country’s sports minister Yiorgos Lianis told a press conference Tuesday in comments reported by the Athens News Agency (ANA).

Alongside hurling “vulgar insults against the Olympics”, other misdeeds set to become criminal offences include consumption of alcohol at matches, shouting “racist and anti-national slogans” and “barbaric offences against the (Greek) national anthem,” Lianis said.

So let me get this straight – if you are an overweight, beer-drinking Greek football fan shouting racist slogans, you are charged with a criminal offence. But if you are an overweight, wine-sipping Greek cultural icon, you can make racist, anti-Semitic comments without fear of prosecution.

About the Author

An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.

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