Man fined for insulting French flag

[alp227]

Source: BBC News

A court in the south of France has fined an Algerian man 750 euros (£637; $984) for insulting the national flag - the first penalty under a new decree.

Abderrahmane Saidi, 26, was at a local government office on Tuesday when he grabbed a flag and snapped the pole in two during a row with a clerk.

A July decree made insulting the tricolour an offence punishable by a fine of up to 1,500 euros.

The rule was triggered by a photo of a man wiping his bottom with the flag.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12069307

---

Hmm, American conservatives hate France for its uber-big government especially that thing called universal health care. On the other hand, France sorta has a flag desecration law that flag-obsessed conservatives here long have drooled for.

[Creative]

1. A new decree...? It looks as though Chavez's influence is spreading.

[guruoo]

2. Must have been one of these guys

[DBoon]

6. Your Mother Is a Hamster and Your Father Smells of Elderberries!

nt

[AsahinaKimi]

3. oh wow..

Drool? It would be a RIGHT WINGERS wet dream.

[Roy Rolling]

4. Is that it?

Did the flag have to appear in court and testify? If this were in America, the flag would now be given 1st Amendment rights and standing to start a PAC to contribute to right-wing candidates.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. As I have said in regards to this nonsense in America

When a symbol of liberty becomes more important than actual liberty, the concept is meaningless.

[toastbutter]

7. France has all sorts of laws like this

they can be arrested for insulting a police officer. That's actually a crime. lol.

Fwiw, regardless of the french law about insulting the flag, I assume they have a vandalism law - he grabbed a flag and snapped the pole in two. Assuming it wasn't HIS flag, that's vandalism.