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Webmaster accused of defaming Prince Albert
Oops. Got to watch your step in Monaco - even on the web. Marc Giacone, the owner of a new satirical website faces a six month prison term and/or a €1500 fine for allegedly defaming Prince Albert II and other local politicians. The website, Monaco Politic Circus which has featured several risky cartoons followed in the footsteps of the notorious French satirical political weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo which was created in 1960 and has a left wing, not to say anarchist slant.
Instant controversy arose over Charlie Hebdo,s February 9, 2006 edition when under the title "Mahomet débordé par les intégristes" ("Muhammad overwhelmed by fundamentalists"), the front page showed a cartoon of a weeping Prophet Muhammad saying "C'est dur d'être aimé par des cons" ("it's hard to be loved by jerks"). The newspaper reprinted the twelve cartoons of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy and added some of their own.
The site Monaco Politic Circus has now been suspended although it was up only a month before being closed and had a sprinkling of visitors. Alleged insults included a red nose. A dozen political dignitaries were entitled to the same scarlet appendix and nicknames of clowns. Judgement is not expected until October 9. The site was closed for “propagation of outrageous expressions” and 'intention to disturb public peace and to feed in the population the hostility and the rejection against a category of people”.
Makes you wonder about the freedom of thought and expression in this tax haven for the wealthy. Meanwhile Prince Albert II of Monaco is hobnobbing it with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Yenisei River on August 13. They flew to the upper Yenisei River by helicopter and boated down the rapids for 48km.
This article was written for TravelSavvy Europe by Mandy Ormes. If you know of an interesting European travel related news story, please get in contact.
