Pizza Owner Charged With Discrimination (against French and Germans)

AP ^ | April 23, 2003

[Shermy]

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - The owner of a Danish pizzeria who refused to serve German and French tourists was charged with discrimination Wednesday.

Aage Bjerre, who owns a pizzeria on Denmark's Fanoe island, was investigated by police after he began refusing to serve tourists from Germany and France in February because of their countries' lack of support for the U.S.-led war in Iraq. He called them "anti-American."

No date for his trial was set, but if found guilty, he could be fined $735, said Esbjerg Deputy Chief Constable Steen Boejlund.

Bjerre was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but in an interview with The Associated Press in February, he chided France and Germany for not supporting the United States.

He displayed two homemade pictograms on the shop door, much like the ones that show the outline of a dog or a cigarette with a bar across it.

One featured the silhouette of a man colored red, yellow and black — the colors of the German flag. The second was painted blue, white and red — the French Tricolor. Both silhouettes had a bar across each man.

The island, 200 miles southwest of the capital, Copenhagen, is a popular spot for visitors from neighboring Germany. Of the approximately 100,000 tourists who come, some 60 percent are German. The others are mostly Scandinavians and Dutch.

There are few French visitors to the island, which has a year-round population of 3,300.

[Dog]

They're yellow-bellied wankers

This term popped up on the War thread......he has to be a lurker at least.

[RockBassCreek]

someone send that guy $735

[Michael81Dus]

Actually not many shops boycott American goods or refuse to treat citizen. I have seen NONE!

I don´t know the laws of Denmark, but in Germany it is not illegal to boycott something or refuse trade with someone.

I don´t think that punishment is the right way - if he doesn´t need to get the German tourists money, well - he will see what he receives for his attitude.

The market will regulate that. I don´t think he should be fined for that, although I personally condemn his behaviour.

[Verginius Rufus]

Good for Aage. If the French and Germans hate America, why would they want to eat some American food anyway?

[ProudArmyWife]

See new post announcing the owners interview with Kiro radio show host Dori today

[vikingcelt]

"Denmarkers" speak Danish...a very difficult language. But lots of Danish people are quite fluent in English so you could probably write your letter in English. This is my fellow countryman and I'm proud of him!!! I'm sending him a check and a congratulatory letter.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Bump for later reading.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Yes, ok, that's good. At least you don't see stores with signs that have stick people in red, white, and blue crossed out. I'll be in the neighborhood next month, to scope out the situation.

I think alot of these problems are caused by local media who refused to have an honest debate about the issue and instead went into Al-Jazeera cheering mode for Chirac and Schroeder, leading to mass ignorance among the populace for the ridiculousness of their own views. Bomb Serbs = good!, Liberate Iraq = hey, we forgot, we're pacifists, screw you!...No Blood for Oil! instead of No Appeasement for Oil! etc etc

[Michael81Dus]

Exactly. And when I ask them if they supported the war against Yugoslavia (not that I think that war was unjustified!) most say "that wasn´t right!" - but polls showed the opposite. Vast majorities of Europe supported the war (and today they want to forget that). The United Nations (old form) died in 1999, not in 2003. The UN need a change, but people (here) don´t realize that. Yet in 1999 we knew that the veto mode (China and Russia then) was wrong when we see that something is going wrong somewhere.

I ask them how credible the UN must be when Lybia presides the UN human rights committee - and they can´t answer.

[knighthawk]

Not really his area (I live two countries away). But there was nothing in the mainstream Dutch media about this. I don't watch German media anymore (too anti-American), so what they tell about this I can't tell.

But Denmark is just as politicaly correct as we Dutch are. But I don't think there will be a huge fine. Last time a Dutch priest had to pay 250 dollars for calling homosexuals a plague.

[ProudArmyWife]

Agge is on the radio station here in Seattle. Dori Monson from KIRORADIO.com has worked out a deal with Agge, people can mail him a check for a pizza and he will donate a pizza to the local kids or charities. One pizza is around 8 dollars US. Since his pizzaria is so close to Germany, he is going to lose a lot of business but he is still holding his stance! It was a great interview!!

[mhking]

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

[Temple Owl]

I posted a thread when he first put a ban on frogs and krauts and sent him $5 and a parchment copy of our Constitution suitable for framing. If I get a chance. I will go to his little island to get a pizza and see if he hung up the document. I hope he did.

[SquirrelKing]

Pizza bump.

[Enemy Of The State]

I think it would be great if a bunch of Americans chipped in and paid his fine should he be found guilty.

[Teacher317]

If we do a FReeper check, I'm in for $10

[Teacher317]

He should of took their money and spit on their pizza ;)
Please change the "p" to an "h"

What's a hizza? ;^)

[Teacher317]

Excellent!!!

[Temple Owl]

Don't know what a hizza is, but I know what spit is. LOL