Satirist under fire over poster
Greece’s Jewish community has filed a complaint with Greek authorities over a controversial poster advertising a show by stand-up artist Tzimis Panousis that depicts the Star of David intertwined with a Nazi swastika. “The design depicted on the poster fiercely insults our very religion as well as the memory of the six million Jews, victims of the Holocaust,” the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece said in a letter by that was sent to the country’s Justice and Education ministries. The board has asked for the “insulting” posters to be taken down. The 59-year-old satirist is no stranger to controversy. In 2000 he was charged with offending a national symbol after he used a poster depicting the Greek national flag featuring a hammer and sickle instead of a cross, to advertise one of his shows.
Dendias visit.
Officials from Greece and Bangladesh have agreed to sign a bilateral agreement outlining closer police cooperation in fighting illegal immigration, reports said yesterday. Greek Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias visited Dhaka on Sunday, were he held talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Dipu Moni. In the meeting, Dendias proposed a repatriation deal between the two states. According to reports, Bangladesh has said it will consider the request. Bangladesh, along with Pakistan and Afghanistan, is one of the main sources of immigration to Greece. Clamping down on clandestine immigration has been a key pledge of Greece’s leading conservative party.
Bank robber arrested.
A 23-year-old man suspected of being part of a gang known for robbing banks with sledgehammers has been arrested in Katerini, northern Greece. Police said they caught the man, against whom an arrest warrant was pending, on Sunday. He is alleged to have been involved in a bank heist in October 2010 in Pieria in the north. Authorities are also examining whether he took part in a robbery in Farsala, central Greece, that netted some 300,000 euros and during which shots were fired at police officers. Three people were arrested in Athens in December 2011 in connection to these robberies but one was released after spending 12 months in pretrial custody only to be rearrested a month later.
Police attacked.
Five officers of the motorcycle-riding DIAS squad were yesterday attacked by unidentified assailants wearing masks and helmets in Agrinio, western Greece, police said. An investigation is under way.